Malaysian General visits Vietnam; Vietnam completes policy on coastal area management; Nha Trang to host ASEAN Financial Ministers Meeting; Vietnam supports UN Decade on Education for Sustainable Development

Vice Chairwoman of the NPC Standing Committee Yan Junqi made the statement at a meeting with Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh in Hanoi on March 23, saying that the cooperation will help deepen the two countries’ comprehensive strategic partnership.

She praised the socio-economic achievements of the Vietnamese people during the Doi Moi (renewal) process.

Party leader Manh highlighted the long-standing friendship between Vietnam and China and said joint efforts to increase bilateral cooperation in all areas–politics, economics, culture, education, healthcare, science and technology–have benefited both nations.

He expressed his pleasure at the results of the two parties’ theoretical workshops and exchange programmes between youths as well as cooperation in personnel training.

He spoke highly of collaboration between the two top legislative bodies and said he hopes they will enhance such efforts in future, contributing to promoting ties between the two parties and states.

Malaysian General visits Vietnam

Senior Lieutenant General Nguyen Khac Nghien, Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army, and General Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Azizan Ariffin, Chief of Defence Force of Malaysia, held talks in Hanoi on March 24 to strengthen cooperation in national defence.

Both host and guest briefed each other on their countries’ situation in politics, socio-economics, national defence and security, and exchanged views on issues of mutual concern to strengthen solidarity and mutual understanding between the people and armed forces of the two countries.

The same day, General Ariffin paid a courtesy visit to Defence Minister General Phung Quang Thanh.

In the evening, Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nghien hosted a banquet in honour of General Ariffin, his wife and the entourage.

General Ariffin began an official visit to Vietnam on March 23 at the invitation of Sen. Lieut. Gen. Nghien.

Vietnam completes policy on coastal area management

A seminar on Vietnam’s coastal area management was held in Hanoi on March 24 by the Vietnam General Department for Sea and Islands in coordination with the Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA).

Participants agreed that State management agencies should complete mechanism, law and policy on coastal area management as soon as possible in order to manage coastal areas in Vietnam more effectively.

They said Vietnam should issue policy and provide technical instructions on coastal area management to help provinces and cities across the country manage coastal areas in line with their real situations.

They suggested the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment cooperate with other relevant ministries to build a national strategy and action plan on coastal area management.

Vietnam has a coastline of more than 3,260km and 1 million square kilometres of territorial waters in the East Sea.

Vietnam, Ukraine strengthen customs cooperation

A delegation from the Vietnam Customs Department has signed an agreement on administrative cooperation in customs services with Ukraine.

Both sides agreed the agreement shows two states’ determination to bring their cooperation in customs services into a new level.

Customs leaders also signed a negotiated agreement on providing statistics on imports and exports between the two countries.

During its stay in Ukraine on March 22-23, the delegation, led by Deputy Minister of Finance Do Hong Anh, called of the Vietnamese Embassy and the Vietnamese Business Association in Kiev to discuss measures aimed at boosting imports and exports between the two countries.

Lao Deputy PM receives Vietnamese Party delegation

Lao Deputy Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith received a Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) delegation in Vientiane on March 24.

The delegation was led by Pham Xuan Son, deputy head of the Party Central Committee’s Commission for External Affairs.

Deputy PM Thongloun Sisoulith, who is also Lao Foreign Minister, highly valued the Vietnamese delegation’s visit to Laos which took place on the 55th anniversary of the establishment of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party (LPRP).

He emphasised that the visit would help strengthen the traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos.

The Vietnamese guests thanked the Lao Deputy PM for warm welcome and informed him about the results of their working session with senior officials from the LPRP’s External Affairs Commission.

During their visit to Laos from March 23-26, the Vietnamese delegation had working sessions in Vientiane and paid a working trip to Luang Prabang province.

Nha Trang to host ASEAN Financial Ministers Meeting

The central coastal city of Nha Trang will host the 14th ASEAN Financial Ministers Meeting, the ASEAN Bankers Council Meeting and relevant meetings from April 5-8.

The Prime Minister has assigned the Finance Minister and the State Bank of Vietnam to prepare for these meetings as part of the 2010 ASEAN Year.

As the ASEAN Chair, Vietnam will organise the regional leaders’ summit in 2010.

Vietnam, Laos exchange Front’s experiences

The President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (VFF) Central Committee, Huynh Dam, has expressed hope that VFF and the Lao Front for National Construction (LFNC) will move towards closer cooperation.

Receiving visiting Vice President Vongchan Phomsavat of the LFNC Central Committee in Hanoi on March 23, President Dam stressed the importance of experience sharing between the two sides.

Vice President Phomsavat said the LFNC wants to learn experience from Vietnam in the implementation of mass mobilisation activities.

During their stay from March 23-27, the LFNC delegation will have a working session with the Quang Ninh provincial Fatherland Front Committee and visit several cultural and economic establishments in the province.

Vietnam supports UN Decade on Education for Sustainable Development

Together with common international efforts, Vietnam has demonstrated its strong commitment to the UN Decade on Education for Sustainable Development (2005-2014).

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Thanh Son made the remark at a conference in Hanoi on March 23 for parties to the Vietnam Committee on Decade of Education for Sustainable Development.

He welcomed the UN initiative to launch the decade and confirmed Vietnam’s determination to continue taking an active part in plans of action within the framework of the Decade to meet the goal of sustainable development.

The diplomat said Vietnam has adopted its plan of action on education for sustainable development in the 2010-2014 period and it hopes to share information and cooperate closely with the parties to bring it to life.

He noted that Vietnam has obtained significant achievements, especially in poverty reduction, since it carried out the Doi Moi (Renewal) process in 1986. It has been lifted out of the list of underdeveloped nations by the United Nations.

NA Chairman receives senior Chinese legislator

The legislative bodies of Vietnam and China should maintain regular exchanges of visits to promote bilateral friendship and cooperation, says National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong.

The agreement was shared at a meeting in Hanoi on March 23 between Chairman Trong and Yan Junqi, Vice Chairwoman of the National People’s Congress (NPC) Standing Committee, who is visiting Vietnam.

Mr Trong welcomed Ms Yan’s visit as it is taking place at a time when the two countries are carrying out various activities to mark the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties.

He noted that the strategic cooperative partnership between Vietnam and China has developed strongly in all areas under the motto of “friendly neighbourliness, comprehensive cooperation, long-term stability and future-oriented vision”, and in the spirit of “Good neighbours, good friends, good comrades and good partners.”

Mr Trong spoke highly of China’s tremendous achievements in implementing its reform and open-door policy and said its development experience is valuable to Vietnam.

The Vietnam National Assembly is making every effort to increase its operational efficiency in legislation, supervision and decision-making in order to successfully build a law-governed socialist State and promote democracy, said Mr Trong.

Ms Yan affirmed that China attaches great importance to developing relations with Vietnam, which were founded by late presidents Mao Zedong of China and Ho Chi Minh of Vietnam.

As the two countries have many things in common and are both carrying out the open-door policy, they can learn from each other’s development experience, she said.

She echoed Mr Trong saying the two legislative bodies should increase regular exchanges of visits and cooperation, especially in legislation and supervision.

The same day, Ms Yan laid a wreath at President Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum and visited several historical and cultural relics in Hanoi.

Hanoi delegation visits Switzerland

A delegation of the Hanoi Municipal People’s Council has visited Geneva city and Bern capital of Switzerland, which are developing cooperative ties with the Vietnamese capital.

The visits aim to boost all-round cooperation in education, training, the environment, urban management, infrastructure construction, tourism development and policy-making between Hanoi capital and these two Swiss cities.

On March 21, the delegation led by Council Chairwoman Ngo Thi Doan Thanh held working sessions with Geneva authorities and its tourism agency.

Both sides briefed each other on socio-economic achievements of their respective cities, as well as functions and operations of people-elected agencies.

The Geneva authorities expressed pleasure at positive developments of relationship between Switzerland and Vietnam in recent years and hoped to increase cooperation in economics, culture and education with Hanoi.

Ms Thanh briefed her hosts on Hanoi’s achievements after it was enlarged in 2008, and its preparations for a grand celebration of its 1,000th anniversary in October. She invited Swiss officials, including those from Geneva city and Bern capital, to come and attend the ceremony.

Vietnam, Algeria promote cooperation in Party orgnisations

A Vietnam Communist Party (CPV) delegation led by Vuong Thua Phong, Deputy Head of the CPV’s External Relations attended the 9th National Liberation Front (FLN) Party congress in Algeria from March 19-21 at the invitation of the FLN Party’s Standing Committee.

The delegation conveyed greetings from the CPV’s Standing Committee to the FLN Party Congress and expressed the solidarity of the Vietnamese people with the FLN Party as well as their appreciation for Algeria’s process of national construction and development.

During its stay, Mr Phong met with General Secretary of the FLN Party’s Standing Committee, Abdelaziz Belkhadem, and Head of the FLN Party’s External Affairs Commission, Mourad Mamoudi to discuss ways to further promote bilateral relations between the two parties.

FLN leaders praised the CPV’s outstanding achievements during the Doi Moi (Renewal) process and re-affirmed their wish to strengthen the ties of friendship and traditional cooperation between the two countries.

At this congress, Mr Benkhadem was re-elected as the FLN Party’s General Secretary.

PV