Vietnam-Uzbekistan visa exemption to take effect
Vietnamese and Uzbekistani citizens holding valid diplomatic passports and needing entry, exit and transit in the other’s territory will be exempt from visas.
This was followed an agreement signed by the two governments, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Consular Department.
Under the agreement, which will take effect on June 4, citizens from one of the two countries holding valid diplomatic passports will be allowed to stay in the other country within 60 days.
First National Ethnic Minority Congress wrapped up
The First Ethnic Minority Congress has successfully completed its agenda as scheduled after two days’ sitting.
Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung summed up the groups accomplishments at a closing ceremony attended by General Secretary Nong Duc Manh, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan, and other State leaders.
Participants strongly agreed with the Party’s viewpoints and policies on ethnic minority issues and national unity. The Congress also recognized and honoured the contribution made by ethnic minority people to the country’s achievements and provided data supporting Party.
The Congress approved a letter of determination in which ethnic people expressed their determination to remain loyal to the Party, respect and follow the Party’s policies, support national unity, and contribute to national programmes of economic development, hunger elimination and poverty alleviation in mountainous areas.
The Deputy PM said the Congress was a milestone in the development of Vietnam’s ethnic minorities. Congress participants, together with compatriots across the country, will take the initiative to uphold patriotism, strengthen national unity, implement Resolution 7 on ethnic minority issues, and Vietnam’s socio-economic development strategy for 2011-2020, preserve national independence and territorial integrity, and build a socialist country with a prosperous people, strong state, and just, democratic, and civilized society.
Local ethnic communities are resolved to mobilize children to attend school and achieve a universalization of secondary education. They also pledge to learn and widen their knowledge and follow the moral example of late President Ho Chi Minh. They will focus their investment on medical facilities and staff and strive to have 100 percent of communes meet national medical standards.
Ethnic people are committed to preserving and building on their fine traditions and cultural identities while eradicating backward customs, helping to construct a modern Vietnamese culture imbued with national identity.
They also promise to do their best to protect the environment and natural resources, especially forests, water, and ecological systems. In addition, the ethnic minority groups will make a greater effort to strengthen national solidarity while safeguarding borders and Vietnam’s national sovereignty.
They are determined to fight hostile schemes that seek to divide the national unity bloc or exploit issues of separatism, ideology or religion to cause political instability.
The Congress approved a number of Party and State honours and awards, including the Golden Star Order to the Committee to Ethnic Minorities, the Title Armed Forces Hero to Ky Son district, and the Title Labour Hero in the Renovation Era to Nam Cang commune of Lao Cai province.
Party leader welcomes int’l delegates to Uncle Ho seminar
Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh received foreign delegations which are in Hanoi to attend an international seminar on President Ho Chi Minh’s heritages on May 14.
The Party leader applauded the international delegates’ contributions to the success of the seminar and thanked them for their esteem towards the thoughts, life and career of President Ho Chi Minh as well as their support for the Vietnamese people’s revolutionary cause led by the Communist Party of Vietnam.
The seminar was a practical activity to reaffirm Uncle Ho’s great contributions to the revolutionary cause of the Vietnamese people as well as the movements of communists and workers for independence and national liberation in the world, he said.
Party General Secretary Manh stressed that together with Marxism-Leninism, President Ho Chi Minh’s thoughts, his morals and manners and the Ho Chi Minh age are an invaluable heritance which have lit the path of development for the Vietnamese revolution with a goal of building a strong socialist republic, a rich people and a democratic, just and civilised society.
The international delegates said they were pleased to visit Vietnam and attend the seminar on the occasion of the 120th birthday of President Ho Chi Minh, a hero of national liberation and a prominent cultural hero of Vietnam as well as the world.
They expressed their admiration for Uncle Ho’s great contributions to the Vietnamese people’s revolutionary cause and the common struggle of the peoples of the world for peace, national independence, democracy and social progress.
President Ho Chi Minh’s heritages, the Vietnamese revolution’s lessons and the country’s renewal achievements are a great source of encouragement for all nations throughout the globe, they said.
Vietnam, Bangladesh vow to boost bilateral ties
Party leader Nong Duc Manh has praised the results of talks between the two Parties’ delegations and expressed thanks to the Bangladeshi Party and people for their support to Vietnam in the past struggle for national liberation as well as the current process of national construction.
Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh on May 13 received President of the Communist Party of Bangladesh Manzurul Ahsan Khan, who is in Vietnam to attend the “Ho Chi Minh heritage in the current age” workshop.
Mr Manh highly valued the Bangladeshi Party delegation’s visit in celebrations of President Ho Chi Minh’s 120th birth anniversary.
The Vietnamese Party leader also expressed his belief that the visit will contribute to boosting the traditional friendship between the two Parties and countries.
For his part, Party President Manzurul Ahsan Khan expressed his deep impressions of President Ho Chi Minh after visiting his homeland and attending the workshop.
He affirmed that the Bangladeshi Communist Party will try best to constantly develop solidarity, friendship and cooperation between the two Parties and peoples.
The Bangladeshi leader congratulated Vietnam on its achievements in the past struggle for national independence and in the current national renewal process, describing them as a source of encouragement to communist, workers’ and left-wing parties on the way to socialism.
He expressed his strong belief that the Vietnamese people will well fruitfully implement the 10th Party Congress’s resolutions and successfully organise the up-coming 11 th Party Congress.
Earlier, a delegation of the Communist Party of Vietnam, headed by Hoang Binh Quan, member of the Party Central Committee and Chairman of its Commission for External Relations, held talks with the Bangladeshi delegation.
The two sides informed each other of their Party’s situation and major socio-economic developments in each country.
They also exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual concern and discussed measures to boost ties between the two parties and countries.
While in Vietnam, the Bangladeshi delegation also visited Da Nang city, Ho Chi Minh City and a number of economic and cultural establishments in Vietnam.
Russian media spotlights President Triet’s visit to Belarus
Belarus considers Vietnam one of its most important political and trading partners in Asia, said Russia’s ITAR-TASS News Agency on May 13.
The Russian news agency underlined the importance of Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet’s current visit to Belarus.
Since President Alexander Lukashenko paid two official visits to Vietnam, in 1997 and 2008, the two countries have seen effective cooperation in economics and trade, said ITAR-TASS.
Vietnam imports lorries, tractors, tyres, tubes, and bearings from Belarus, while exporting raw rubber, seacooking, rice, cashews, footwear, garments, textiles, tea, and coffee.
Vietnamese and Indian parties promote bilateral ties
The Communist Party of India (CPI) (Marxist), which plays an important role in India’s political arena should continue to promote the two countries’ multifaceted cooperation in the framework of their strategic partnership.
Truong Tan Sang, who is a politburo member of the Secretariat of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee (CPVCC), made the statement during his meeting with Sitaram Yechury, Politburo member and Head of the CPI (Marxist)’s Commission for International Affairs, in Hanoi on May 12.
Mr Sang spoke highly of the results of the talks held earlier between the CPI delegation and its Vietnamese counterpart and briefed his guest on what the CPV has prepared for its 11th congress as well as recent developments in Vietnam.
He took the opportunity to thank the Indian Government, communists, people and the left wing for precious assistance they offered to the Vietnamese people in their past struggle for national liberation and the current national construction and defence cause.
The Indian guest congratulated Vietnam on immense and significant achievements recorded from its renovation cause and said he believes the Vietnamese people, under the leadership of the CPV, will successfully implement the 10th Party Congress’s resolution and organise the upcoming 11th Party Congress.
Earlier, Sitaram Yechury held talks with Hoang Binh Quan, CPVCC member and Head of the CPVCC Commission for External Relations.
During the talks, both sides exchanged notes on their respective party as well as major socio-economic developments in their countries.
They discussed regional and international issues of mutual concern and specific measures to further enhance ties between their parties and countries.
While in Vietnam, the Indian communist attended a symposium on “Ho Chi Minh’s heritages” held by the Ho Chi Minh National Administration-Politics Institute, and paid tribute to the late President at his mausoleum.
He also met with authorities of Ho Chi Minh City and the northern province of Quang Ninh, and visited some economic establishments and cultural sites in these localities.
Brazil backs Vietnam’s presence in G-20 meetings
Brazil supports Vietnam’s presence in G-20 meetings as the chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Brazil’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Celso Amorim made the statement while hosting visiting Vietnam’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh on May 10.
At the meeting, Mr Amorim congratulated Vietnam’s great achievements in its development process and its increasing prestige and position in the international arena.
Mr Amorim affirmed that Vietnam and Brazil have favourable conditions to increase cooperative relations in all fields, especially in trade and investment, to meet the two peoples’ aspirations and interests.
During his visit to Brazil starting on May 9, Mr Minh met with his counterpart Roberto Jaguaribe and Deputy Minister of Industry Development and Foreign Trade Ivan Ramalho and Chairman of the Brazil-Vietnam Chamber of Commerce Rui Barreto.
At these meetings, the two sides informed each other of the situation in each country and agreed that bilateral ties have made strides in all fields over the past years and agreed to accelerate preparations for the second session of the joint committee in Hanoi in 2011 and complete negotiations to sign new cooperation agreements (first and foremost is a framework agreement on technical cooperation and other cooperation agreements on agriculture and education).
The Brazil side said that they would send a delegation of government officials and leading entrepreneurs to Vietnam in the second half of this year in a bid to establish a partnership and tap long-term business and investment opportunities in Vietnam.
In spite of suffering from the negative impact of the global economic and financial crisis, two-way trade between the two countries still, reached over US$564 million last year. The figure is expected to top US$1 billion in the next few years.
Vietnam-Cambodia ties fostered
The friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Cambodia have been growing in depth with higher efficiency.
National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong made the comment during his reception for the out-going Cambodian Ambassador, Van Phon, in Hanoi on May 12.
He noted that economic ties between the two countries, as grounded on fine political relations, have been growing unceasingly. He referred to the two countries’ close coordination at many multilateral forums.
The NA Chairman lauded Ambassador Van Phon’s active and effective contributions to promoting bilateral ties during his working term. He said he hopes that he will continue to foster that time-honoured relations. He affirmed that Vietnam will do its utmost to strengthen and further develop its traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation with Cambodia.
The Cambodian Ambassador said he was pleased to see new progress in the two countries’ traditional friendship and multi-dimensional cooperation during his working term in Vietnam.
The two countries have made progress in the demarcation and planting of makers along the shared border with a view to turning it into a border of peace, friendship, cooperation and development.
Special French friend visits Vietnam
Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Phu Trong received Raymond Aubrac, former member of the French parliament and a close friend of President Ho Chi Minh, in Hanoi on May 14.
Raymond Aubrac, 96, expressed his pleasure in returning and witnessing the changes in Vietnam, and in particular in being able to attend the international seminar on Ho Chi Minh’s heritages on the occasion of his 120th birthday.
Raymond Aubrac also expressed his admiration and warm sentiments for the President, saying that the great man led the Vietnamese people to defeat the French colonialists and the American imperialists while in the two countries, progressive people still supported him as well as his country. This was an unusual circumstance in history, he said.
He highlighted Ho Chi Minh’s legacy, describing it as a treasures for the Vietnamese people.
Chairman Trong agreed with the assessment by Raymond Aubrac and foreign scientists, saying that President Ho Chi Minh’s valuable legacy is embodied in his thoughts, style and moral example. He recalled a series of deep impression of the companionship between Raymond Aubrac and President Ho Chi Minh.
Raymond Aubrac, a French hero during the struggle against German fascism, is on a visit to Vietnam to attend activities to mark 35th anniversary of the liberation of South Vietnam and 120th birthday of President Ho Chi Minh.
Vietnam promotes tourism in Moscow
Vietnam should boost its export staples – seafood, agricultural products and fine art and handicraft items – to Moscow and promote its image as a tourist destination in Russia.
Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov stated this while hosting his Hanoian counterpart Nguyen The Thao in the Russian capital city on May 12.
At the meeting, Mr Luzhkov and Mr Thao agreed on a cooperative project to build a metro system in Hanoi.
Mr Luzhkov said that the construction of the Hanoi Culture and Trade Centre in Moscow as well as the Moscow Culture House in Hanoi will help the two capitals further tighten bilateral ties. He told Mr Thao that he will lead a delegation to attend “Moscow Days in Hanoi” and the 1,000th anniversary celebrations of Thang Long-Hanoi.
For his part, Mr Thao said he hopes Moscow authorities will create favourable conditions for the construction of the Hanoi Culture and Trade Centre in Moscow, and affirmed Hanoi will do its best to make “Moscow Days in Hanoi” a success.
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