Vietnam is willing to provide the best conditions for the second DPRK-USA Summit scheduled to take place in the capital city of Hanoi on February 27 and 28, said a local official.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung speaks at the international press conference ahead of the DPRK-USA Hanoi Summit Vietnam

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung made the affirmation while co-chairing an international press conference in Hanoi on February 25, together with Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung and Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung.

Trung said the DPRK-USA Hanoi Summit Vietnam is an extremely important event that is drawing much attention from people and the international community as it is directly related to regional peace.

According to the deputy minister, Vietnam has been selected to organise the event thanks to its improved position in the international arena and good relations with both the US and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Through the hosting of the summit, Vietnam wants to promote its foreign policy of peace and being an active and responsible member of the international community, he said, adding that, the country also wishes to contribute to the process of peace talks.

Vietnam also wants to enhance the role of not only Vietnam but also the whole Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the world, and introduce its achievements after more than 30 years of reform and the images of Hanoi as the capital is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the UNESCO’s recognition of Hanoi as the “City for Peace” this year, Trung said.

Therefore, leaders of Vietnam and Hanoi have defined the hosting of the summit as an unscheduled but very important task in implementing the country’s foreign policy, the deputy minister said, noting that Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has paid due attention to the preparation work.

Just after a short period, preparations in all aspects have been basically completed and Hanoi now stands ready for the summit, he said.

Trung told reporters that on this occasion, US President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet Vietnamese leaders while Chairman of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK) and the State Affairs Commission of the DPRK will pay an official friendship visit to Vietnam. 

This is the first visit to Vietnam by a top DPRK leader after 55 years since Kim Jong-un’s grandfather and founding leader of the DPRK Kim Il Sung visited the Southeast Asian country in 1964.

Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung speaks at the press conference in Hanoi on February 25 

Meanwhile, Minister of Information and Communications Nguyen Manh Hung said almost 3,000 international reporters from more than 200 news and press agencies in nearly 40 countries and territories across the world have registered to cover the summit, along with approximately 550 domestic reporters.

The number of reporters covering the DPRK-USA Hanoi Summit Vietnam is much higher than the figure registering to report about the APEC Economic Leaders Week in the central city of Da Nang in November 2017, he said.

Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung said the city’s administration and people are sparing no effort to prepare for the summit and deserve the title of the “City for Peace” recognised by UNESCO 20 years ago.

The city will also organise art performance shows in the evenings of February 26, 27 and 28 at Ly Thai To Square next to Hoan Kiem Lake with the participation of well-known artists to serve tourists and local residents.

Chung hoped that foreign reports would have the opportunity to enjoy Hanoi’s special culture, witness the hospitality of local residents and come back to the city after the summit.-VNA