Vietnam, UK hold third strategic dialogue

The third Vietnam-UK Strategic Dialogue took place in London on October 22, in the framework of the strategic partnership and the 2013 action plan between the two sides.

Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son and Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Hugo Swire co-chaired the event.

In an atmosphere of friendship and mutual understanding, the two sides compared views on bilateral and regional issues, global challenges such as climate change, organised crimes and illegal migration.

The two sides agreed that the Vietnam-UK relations are developing positively in all fields of priorities within the framework of the Strategic Partnership.

They were satisfied to see the high growth of trade and investment ties, expected to reach the targets of US$4 billion in two-way trade and US$3 billion in the UK’s investment in Vietnam in 2013.

Vietnam affirmed it will continue with efforts to improve the investment environment, thus creating favourable conditions for UK enterprises to do long-term and effective business in the country.

The UK side said it hopes Vietnamese businesses will pay more attention to and expand their operation to the UK, which boasts many investment opportunities in such sectors as infrastructure and energy.

The Vietnamese side asked the UK to continue prioritising Vietnam as a recipient of its official development assistance after 2016.

Regarding education and training, the two sides welcomed the establishment of the Vietnam-UK Training and Research Institute at the Da Nang University as the first step of the project to set up the Vietnam-UK University in Vietnam’s central city of Da Nang.

The two sides were also glad to see the positive developments in defence cooperation, especially the UK ’s appointment of a resident defence attache to Vietnam.

The UK side said it is willing to help Vietnam in joining the UN peacekeeping activities.

The two sides reiterated their commitment to continued cooperation to cope with global threats, including the fight against organised crime and illegal migration, as well as in anti-terrorism experience sharing.

Regarding regional issues, the two sides exchanged views on the situations in the East Sea ,

the Korean peninsula and Syria .

They pledged to strengthen cooperation and mutual support at multilateral forums and international organisations.

The two sides reaffirmed their support to principle of resolving international disputes through peaceful means on the basis of international law.

They also stressed the increasingly important role of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in the region, the importance of the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea between ASEAN and China and welcomed steps towards the building of the Code of Conduct, creating a legal basis for the management and adjustment of the conducts of concerned parties in the East Sea.The two sides issued a communique on the third Vietnam-UK strategic dialogue.

During his stay in the UK, Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son met with Prince Andrew, Duke of York; the executive board of the Vietnam-UK Network and had a working session with the Royal Institute for Defence and Security Studies.

Aspen Institute’s assistance for AO/Dioxin victims praised

Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan has hailed the US Aspen Institute’s contributions to Vietnam-US relations during an October 23 meeting with the US- Vietnam Dialogue Group on Agent Orange (AO)/Dioxin.

Since the late 1980s, the Institute has organised numerous Vietnam-US dialogues on addressing the legacies of war, including decontaminating dioxin at Danang Airport, reducing poverty, and supporting people with disabilities, Doan said.

She hopes the group will continue devoting its valuable resources to resolving issues relating to AO/Dioxin. Doan said both nations need to improve their communication regarding overcoming war’s aftermath and easing the pain of Vietnamese victims.

Aspen Institute Deputy Director Elliot Gerson pledged his organisation’s future support for Vietnam, saying the information collected during his first Vietnamese visit will be passed on to the US Government and inform its next round of reconciliation and war legacy initiatives.

EU, VN hold talks on ethnic minorities

The Committee for Ethnic Minorities (CEM) and the EU Delegation in Viet Nam yesterday (Oct 23) kicked off a workshop on international human rights standards focusing on ethnic minorities.

The Committee for Ethnic Minorities (CEM) and the EU Delegation in Viet Nam yesterday kicked off a workshop on international human rights standards focusing on ethnic minorities.

The event will also note Viet Nam's policy achievements in improving the rights of ethnic minority groups.

Addressing the opening session, Deputy Minister-cum-CEM Vice Chairman Hoang Xuan Luong stressed Viet Nam's consistent policy to ensure human rights, including the rights of ethnic minorities.

Ewa Chylinski, senior expert at the European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI), presented an overview of international treaties and laws enshrining human rights for ethnic minority groups, as well as the state of ethnic minority rights in the EU and ASEAN countries.

Discussions at the seminar will also address Viet Nam's current policy platform for ethnic minority groups and a road map for ensuring ethnic minority rights in the future.

Flagging upcoming efforts to promote human rights and the rights of ethnic minorities, Luong said the country was preparing to join three other UN conventions, as well as for the launch of the Government Plan of Action containing a strategy that will run until 2020.

The National Assembly is also scheduled to complete a Law on Ethnic Affairs by 2020, the deputy minister added.

The workshop drew over 60 representatives from relevant ministries and sectors and officials from five Central and Central Highlands provinces, including Phu Yen, Dak Lak, Lam Dong, Ninh Thuan, and Khanh Hoa.

Vietnamese, Russian Communist Parties seek to boost ties

A delegation from the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) led by To Huy Rua, Politburo member and Secretary of the CPV Central Committee and Head of its Commission for Organisation has held talks with its counterpart from the Communist Party of Russian Federation in Moscow.

Briefing each other on the current situation in each country, the two sides discussed measures to enhance the efficiency of cooperation between the two parties through the exchange of delegations and information and experience sharing, especially in party building and organising.

Chairman of the Communist Party of Russian Federation Gennady Zyuganov, who led the delegation to the talks on October 23, affirmed that his party fully supports President Vladimir Putin, the government and parliament’s policy of strengthening comprehensive cooperation with Vietnam, particularly in electricity, nuclear power and oil and gas.

He asserted that his party will spare no effort to the implementation of the signed agreements, deepening the Vietnam-Russia strategic comprehensive partnership.

Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan has lauded the US Government's recent active involvement in addressing the consequences left over from the American War in Viet Nam while noting it was a long-term, difficult task that needed joint efforts.

Doan met with Elliot Gerson and Charles Bailey from the Aspen Institute's Agent Orange in Viet Nam Programme and their entourage at the Viet Nam-US Dialogue Group on Agent Orange/Dioxin in Ha Noi yesterday, Oct 23.

She mentioned the detoxification of Da Nang International Airport in central Viet Nam, co-ordination in poverty reduction and assistance for people with disabilities as just some of the areas the US had supported.

The vice president hailed the role and positive contributions made by the Aspen Institute since the 1980s to arrange dialogues for Viet Nam and the US to seek effective solutions to tackle the consequences of the war.

She said that Viet Nam and the US should promote action plans, especially communications campaigns, to help to deal with the aftermath.

Doan said she hoped the Viet Nam-US Dialogue Group on AO/Dioxin would continue to make concrete contributions to the field.

Gerson expressed his desire to continue working with Viet Nam by renewing their efforts and assistance through humanitarian activities.

He said information collected during his trip to Viet Nam would be submitted to the US Government in order to seek more productive solutions.

Ukraine’s Communist Party delegation visits Vietnam

Le Hong Anh, Politburo member and Standing member of the Party Central Committee Secretariat, on October 23 received a delegation of the Communist Party of Ukraine (CPU) led by Oplazhko V.N., Secretary of the CPU Central Committee.

At the meeting, the Ukrainian guest said he was satisfied with the outcomes of his working sessions with Vietnamese partners. He expressed hope that the two parties’ cooperation will be developed in a result-oriented manner to further consolidate the traditional friendship between the two parties and peoples.

Le Hong Anh reiterated that the Communist Party of Vietnam always attaches importance to its ties with the CPU and will further promote their links in the time to come.

On the same day, the Ukrainian delegation had talks with Hoang Binh Quan, head of the CPV Central Committee’s Commission for External Relations.

The two sides informed each other about the situation in their respective countries and parties and exchanged views on issues of mutual concern. Measures to strengthen relations between the parties were also tabled during the talks.

During their stay in Vietnam, the Ukrainian delegation is set to have working sessions with the CPV Central Committee’s Commission for Organisation and Commission for Popularisation and Education, the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics and Public Administrative and the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour.

ASEAN states join field disaster response drill in Ha Noi

Relevant forces from ten ASEAN member countries and observers from China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, New Zealand, the US and UN bodies took part in a field disaster response simulation exercise in Ha Noi's Ba Vi mountain area yesterday.

Deputy PM Hoang Trung Hai, ASEAN Secretary-General Le Luong Minh, Defence Minister Phung Quang Thanh and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Cao Duc Phat attended the event, which was part of the ongoing 2013 ASEAN Disaster Emergency Response Simulation Exercise.

The drill, co-organised by the Government of Viet Nam and the ASEAN Co-ordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management, aims to assess standard procedures for disaster emergency response activities, and enhance collective response in the region.

Participants will evaluate the implementation of procedures and mechanisms during the exercise today.

Finnish experts advocate innovation

Viet Nam should strive to create an environment of innovation that can push for further research development at companies and the public sector alike, experts at the Viet Nam-Finland Innovation Forum said yesterday, Oct 23.

The two-day forum was held as part of the Innovation Partnership Programme between the governments of Finland and Viet Nam.

Started in 2009, the first phase, which ended this year, encouraged Vietnamese enterprises to engage in innovation and create linkages with government agencies and research institutes.

"The future of Viet Nam is very much dependent on our innovation performance, how the private sector will be able to generate new solutions to market problems," said the Minister of Science and Technology, Nguyen Quan.

Raine Hermans, head of Strategic Programmes at TEKES, the Finnish Funding Agency for Technology and Innovation, said Finland in 2010 put more than 7 billion euros (US$9.5 billion) into research development, which equalled 3.9 per cent of its GDP.

TEKES has about 550 million euros ($746 million) allocated for innovative development this year.

According to the European Union Innovation Scoreboard 2013, Finland, Denmark, Germany and Sweden are considered innovation pioneers in Europe.

Hermans said innovation should not be treated as a vague concept, but rather to create new knowledge and products.

He claimed 68 per cent of TEKES funding in 2012 went to support small-and-medium enterprises and that one euro from TEKES could create 21 euros in generated revenues.

Finnish Ambassador Kimmo Lahdevirta said enterprises were the drivers of innovation and success was sustained by the right public policies and appropriate public institutions.

"Our task ahead is to create more decent jobs and opportunities for entrepreneurship."

Lahdevirta also said that Finland would continue to support innovations in Viet Nam until 2018, with investment of an additional 10 million euros.

However, he said more must be done to scale up innovation work within enterprises, the private sector and to create a National Innovation System in Viet Nam.

Ta Doan Trinh, director of the National Institute for Science and Technology Police and Strategy Studies, said innovation policy must go beyond the development of science and technology.

"The business environment in our country has not created the level of competitiveness to push businesses for further innovative activities. Some of our businesses have many special privileges, so they lack motivation to innovate," he said.

"Viet Nam must develop a national innovation system that takes into account the real demand of businesses and study the application of potential products".

Vietnam, China strengthen audit cooperation

Vietnam hopes to receive more help from the Chinese State Audit in improving professional skills and capacity for its staff.

Vietnamese State Auditor General Nguyen Huu Van made the request during an October 23 meeting with his counterpart Liu Jiaji on the sidelines of the 21st Congress of the International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI) from October 22-25 in China’s capital city of Beijing.

Auditor General Van said the cooperation between the two auditing agencies in the form of regular exchanges of high-ranking delegations and experiences have contributed to enhancing each side’s capacity.

He said his agency needs the assistance as it is playing an increasingly important role in Vietnam’s efforts to combat corruption and wastefulness.

Liu Jiaji, who is also INTOSAI 21’s Chairman, said the participation of the Vietnamese delegation contributed to the congress’ success.

He affirmed that the auditing agencies of China and Vietnam should well carry out their agreements, helping further the comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership between the two countries.

The two auditor generals later signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation, in which the two sides will exchange professional experience in the fields of public sector audit, operational audit, environmental audit, and auditing technique, as well as exchange auditors and high-ranking delegations.

Communist Review launches Chinese-language version

The Communist Review newswire launched a Chinese-language version in Ha Noi today so that Chinese speakers can understand Viet Nam's guidelines and policies.

The site, at cn.tapchicongsan.org.vn will cover breaking news in politics, Party building, socio-economics, culture and world issues, especially national construction and defence.

It also aims to strengthen mutual understanding between the two Parties, States and peoples, thus boosting the traditional friendship and relations between the two sides.

The Vietnam News Agency, Communist Party of Vietnam online newspaper and Government e-portal already have Chinese-language versions.