Deputy PM Hai visits Azerbaijan; NA delegation visits Finland; Vietnam seeks more assistance from WB; Vietnam vows to make AIPA 31 a great success; PM pushes for increased cooperation with Malaysia

Deputy PM Hai visits Azerbaijan

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai arrived in Baku on April 7, beginning his official visit to Azerbaijan at the invitation of the Azerbaijan Government.

Mr Hai was welcomed at Baku Hejdara Alijeva airport by the Minister of Economic Development, Nayazi Safarov, the Azerbaijan Ambassador to China and Vietnam, Yasa Aliev, the Vietnamese Ambassador to Azerbaijan and Russia, Bui Dinh Dinh along with Vietnamese nationals living in Baku.

On April 8, Deputy PM Hai was due work with the President of Azerbaijan’s National Oil Company and attend the Vietnam-Azerbaijan business forum.

Earlier, during his visit to Uzbekistan on April 4-6, Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev confirmed that his country attaches great importance to developing traditional friendship and cooperation with Vietnam.

Both leaders said Uzbekistan and Vietnam should increase bilateral cooperation in trade and economics to fully tap their potential. They said their governments will create favourable conditions for the business circles to seek and establish partnerships to implement joint projects and facilitate import-export activities.

The Uzbek PM said his government supports the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) in implementing its signed contracts and expanding investment in oil and gas exploitation in the country.

He confirmed that Uzbek businesses will carry out oil and gas exploration projects on Vietnam’s continental shelf to help the Central Asian country strengthen relations with ASEAN and its member countries.

Mr Hai also held talks with Deputy Prime Minister-cum- Minister of Foreign Economic Relations, Investments and Trade Elyer Ganiev. They identified six priority areas of bilateral cooperation, namely banking, fertilizer-chemical production, garment-footwear making, oil&gas, mining, and farm produce processing.

Mr Hai attended a joint Vietnam-Uzbekistan business forum and received a number of CEOs of leading economic groups in Uzbekistan.

NA delegation visits Finland

A Vietnamese National Assembly delegation led by its Vice Chairman Nguyen Duc Kien has just visited Finland.

While working with the Speaker of the Finnish Parliament Sauli Niinistö and Vice Speaker Seppo Kaaria, Mr Kien briefed the host on Vietnam’s socio-economic development in 20 years of the renewal (Doi Moi) process, and Vietnam’s efforts to weather the global economic crisis. He emphasized the country’s consistent policy of being a reliable friend and partner to all nations.

Mr Kien praised Finland’s achievements in economics and social welfare. Vietnam and Finland first established diplomatic ties in 1970, but their potential for cooperation has not been fully exploited, Mr. Kien noted.

He proposed that the two parliaments step up visit exchanges and experience sharing to foster ties of solidarity and friendship.

Speaker Sauli outlined Finland’s socio economic development and insisted that Finland is eager to expand co-operative ties with Vietnam.

During its stay in Finland from April 5-7, the Vietnamese delegation visited Tampere, Finland’s third largest city, and met with Vietnamese residents of Helsinki and the Vietnamese embassy staff there.

PM pushes for increased cooperation with Malaysia

The Vietnam-Malaysia Joint Commission should meet as soon as possible to identify priority areas of cooperation between the two countries.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung made the proposal while receiving his Malaysian counterpart Najib Bin Tun Abdul Razak in Hanoi on April 8.

He welcomed Mr Razak to the ongoing 16th ASEAN summit in Hanoi and said Vietnam will work closely with Malaysia to bring bilateral relations to new heights for mutual benefit and common development.

Cooperative ties between Vietnam and Malaysia have fared well in all areas, from politics and diplomacy to economics, trade, investment, security, national defence, education-training and labour, said Mr Dung.

He went on to say that two-way trade last year reached US$4 billion and Malaysia is one of Vietnam’s leading investors in construction, electricity and water supplies, gas exploration, mechanics and banking.

For his part, PM Razak praised Vietnam’s preparations for the summit and voiced his support for the country in fulfilling its duty as ASEAN Chair this year.

Malaysia wants to foster comprehensive cooperation with Vietnam, especially in investment, banking, labour, tourism, education and training, said Mr Razak.

He said he is looking forward to paying an official visit to Vietnam and attending an East Asia Summit in Hanoi. He said Malaysian businesses are satisfied with the investment environment in Vietnam and want to expand operations in the country.

The two PMs witnessed the signing of documents to build a thermal power plant in the Red River Delta province of Hai Duong between Malaysia’s Jaks Resource Berhad group and Vietnamese counterparts.

The US$1.8 billion plant has two generators with a design capacity of 1,200MW. It will be built in Kinh Mon district and expected to generate power in 2014.

Vietnam seeks more assistance from WB

Vietnam hopes to receive additional assistance from the World Bank to carry out its major development programmes, including those on sea and river dyke reinforcement and flood prevention.
Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung expressed his hope while receiving the Managing Director of the World Bank, Juann Jose Daboub, iin Khanh Hoa province on April 8.

He thanked the WB for providing valuable financial and technical assistance to Vietnam’s economic restructuring, equitisation of State-owned enterprises, lawmaking, poverty reduction, education reform, healthcare development and personnel training.

Mr Hung said Vietnam has bottomed out from the economic downturn and is on the track to recovery. It has kept runaway inflation under control and is restructuring its macro economy. The country is consulting financial and monetary institutions to formulate its five-year economic development plan to be submitted to the upcoming National Party Congress slated for January 2011.

Currently, he said, Vietnam has 500,000 businesses and it aims to increase the figure to 1 million in the near future to address employment issues, especially in rural areas.

Vietnam wants to speed up poverty reduction and narrow the development gap between rich and poor to create a consensus in society, said Mr Hung.

Juann Jose Daboub voiced his support for Vietnam’s development programmes and promised to help the country meet its development goals. He confirmed that as a good partner for Vietnam, the WB put forward specific recommendations and provides effective financial aid to the country.

Earlier, Mr Hung received Naoyuki Shinohara, Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

MoJ – the key stone of judicial reform

President Nguyen Minh Triet has praised the Ministry of Justice (MoJ)’s efforts to help the Government, and the National Assembly develop and enact an improved legal system.

At a working session with MoJ in Hanoi on April 8, he said the organistional and operational structures of judicial agencies from central to grassroots levels have been completed and justice officials have increased in number and qualifications. He expressed his hope that the judicial sector will continue to strive for judicial reform.

Mr Triet pointed out that the process of international integration has provided both difficulties and opportunities so the sector should grasp the opportunities to overcome the difficulties.

The Party and State determined to build a socialist law-governed State, said Mr Triet, adding that fulfilling this task will require drastic judicial reform, in which the MoJ must play an important role. The MoJ should learn from the experience of international friends, M Triet suggested.

He also urged the MoJ to do more to help the public understand the law to refine its organizational structure to maximize operational efficiency, and to improve its handling of civil cases to ensure citizens’ rights.

MoJ Minister, Ha Hung Cuong gave briefs on judicial activities in 2009, such as designing standardized legal documents, organising the first lawyers congress and establishing the Vietnam Lawyers Federation. Judicial administration has been reformed to be more responsive to businesses, organizations and private citizens.

Vietnam vows to make AIPA 31 a great success

Vietnam will try its best to successfully organise the 31st ASEAN Inter-parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) this year, National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong assured a senior Indonesian legislator.

At a meeting in Hanoi on April 8, Mr Trong briefed Marzuki Alie, Speaker of the Indonesian House of representatives on Vietnam’s preparations for the assembly, as well as a meeting between ASEAN and AIPA leaders during the 16th ASEAN summit in Hanoi on April 8-9.

He expressed his belief that the Indonesian House of Representatives will make a substantial contribution to the bloc’s success, thus increasing AIPA’s role in the region.

He recalled his visit to Indonesia last March and hoped the visit outcome would help promote the friendship and cooperation between the two countries and two legislative bodies.

Speaker Alie voiced his strong support for Vietnam in expanding bilateral and multilateral relations and expressed his belief that as ASEAN and AIPA Chair this year, Vietnam will help bring the ASEAN Charter to life to meet the goal of building a united ASEAN community by 2015.

Speaker Alie is in Hanoi for a meeting between ASEAN and AIPA leaders on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit.

National defense delegation visits Denmark

A high-ranking delegation of the Ministry of Defense (MoF) visited Denmark this week at the invitation of the Danish Ministry of Defense.

While in Denmark, Deputy Minister Nguyen Huy Hieu, senior lieutenant-general, discussed measures to promote cooperation in national defense with Kristian Fischer, Denmark’s Secretary of State for Defense.

He also worked with several Danish defense agencies including the Emergency Management Agency and the Defense Command to seek Danish cooperation in technology quality assurance, material supply, and assistance to Vietnam in landmine clearance and overcoming the aftermath of wars.

ASEAN Finance Ministers Meeting opens

Vietnam’s Finance Minister Vu Van Ninh chaired the 14th ASEAN Finance Ministers Meeting, which began in the coastal city of Nha Trang on April 8 with the finance ministers and the governors of every central bank in all the ASEAN member countries in attendance.

Also present at the financial summit was IMF Deputy Managing Director Shinohara, WB Managing Director Daboub and the President of the Asia Development Bank, Haruhiko Kuroda.

In his opening speech, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung highlighted the fact that ASEAN has remained united and is gradually moving toward an ASEAN economic community by 2015 despite the recent adverse conditions such as the global financial crisis, epidemics, climate change and natural disasters.

Mr Hung said apart from issues related to intra-ASEAN economic cooperation, the meeting should also discuss any proposals that ASEAN may put forward to the G20 group, like climate change and a financial safety network at global, regional and national levels.

The agenda for this year’s meeting includes the roadmap for ASEAN’s financial and monetary integration, ASEAN’s action plans in developing capital markets, the liberalization of financial services, and cooperation in the fields of insurance and customs.

In addition, participants will discuss the Asian Bond Market Initiative (ABMI) and the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralisation (CMIM) Agreement within the framework of cooperation with China, Japan and the Republic of Korea.

Previously, at its third meeting in Hanoi on April 7, the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) Council adopted the Draft ASEAN Leaders’ Statement on Sustained Recovery and Development, which was initiated by Vietnam.

The draft, which will be submitted to the 16th ASEAN Summit, reiterated the bloc’s determination to rebound from the global financial meltdown and maintain regional growth.

NA Chairman praises AIPA leaders’ support for Vietnam

The attendance of AIPA member delegates at the ASEAN-AIPA leaders’ meeting slated for April 8-9 in Hanoi reflects their support for Vietnam as AIPA-31 president.

National Assembly (NA) Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong made the statement while receiving a delegation from the ASEAN Inter-parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) member parliaments in Hanoi on April 7.

The coordination between ASEAN and AIPA has existed for a long time, said the Chairman, adding that within the framework of the ASEAN Summit in Thailand last year there were two unofficial meetings between Southeast Asian governments and the leaders of their legislative bodies.

Under Vietnam’s initiative, this year’s ASEAN-AIPA meeting will be raised to the level of an official meeting which is an opportunity for open discussions on regional cooperation issues in a bid to further increase the quality and effectiveness of both AIPA and ASEAN’s activities for the common goal of building the ASEAN Community in 2015 on the basis of the ASEAN Charter.

Chairman Trong took the occasion to thank the AIPA member parliaments for their support and assistance to the Vietnam National Assembly in successfully hosting AIPA symposiums on bringing into play women parliamentarians in lawmaking, overcoming the global economic crisis and securing sustainable development.

He hoped that other AIPA parliaments will continue helping and cooperating with the Vietnam NA so that it fulfils its role as AIPA-31 President.

AIPA delegates expressed the hope that through the ASEAN-AIPA official meeting, AIPA’s message - the wish for increased cooperation with ASEAN and the acceleration of the implementation of AIPA ratified resolutions as well as raising AIPA’s role in the building of an ASEAN community- will be transmitted to ASEAN leaders.

They were all committed to joining hands the Vietnam National Assembly’s role as AIPA-31 Chair in successfully organising conferences and workshops relating to “hot” issues in the region.

The delegates committed to continuing to join hands with the Vietnam National Assembly to organise activities during the host country’s AIPA-31 chairmanship, especially the 31st General Assembly of AIPA in September.

Earlier, the AIPA delegates held a preparatory meeting under the leadership of Chairman of the Vietnam NA’s Committee for External Relations Affairs Nguyen Van Son, who is also Head of the AIPA-31 organising board.

NA Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong will head the AIPA delegation to the ASEAN-AIPA meeting.

PV