Cambodian closure of camp welcomed

The
Vietnamese Government highly values the Cambodian Government’s closure of its
temporary camp in Phnom Penh for ethnic minority people of the Central Highlands
of Viet Nam, in accordance with the schedule Cambodia had previously announced,
said a spokesperson from the Vietnamese Foreign Ministry.

Nguyen
Phuong Nga told reporters yesterday, Feb 16, that “the Vietnamese State always
prioritises promoting socio-economic development in remote and mountainous areas
in order to improve all aspects of the lives of ethnic minorities, including
those in the Central Highlands.”

“In
reality, the Central Highlands has been one of the regions that has enjoyed a
high economic growth rate and the lives of ethnic minorities in all fields have
been further improved over recent years,” she went on to say.

“Ethnic
minority people who returned from Cambodia are not discriminated against and
have always been assisted in stabilising their lives and reintegrating into the
community,” she added.

“The
Vietnamese Government highly values the close co-operation of the Cambodian
Government and the United Nations Refugee Agency in settling people in the
temporary camp on the basis of the tripartite Memorandum of Understanding signed
on January 25, 2005, as well as its closure of the camp as scheduled,” said Nga.

The 10
remaining ethnic minority people of the Central Highlands were welcomed back to
Viet Nam and returned safely to their locality, where measures were taken to
reintegrate them, she added.

Prime
Minister meets new Singaporean and Danish ambassadors

Prime
Minister Nguyen Tan Dung met separately with Ambassador Simon Wong Wie Kuen of
Singapore and Ambassador John Nielsen of Denmark in Ha Noi yesterday, Feb 16.

Photo: Vietnam+

In a
meeting with the Singaporean diplomat, Dung expressed his thanks for the
contributions made by the Prime Minister of Singapore to Viet Nam’s successful
tenure as the ASEAN Chair in 2010.

Singapore was Viet Nam’s largest foreign investor in 2010, with a total capital
of over US$4 billion.

The PM
applauded the Singaporean leader’s work for peace and stability in the region
and on the East Sea, and asked both governments to continue to maintain a
dialogue mechanism on security, politics and diplomacy.

He also
spoke highly of the Ambassador’s efforts in promoting co-operation programmes
and projects between the two countries.

In a
meeting with Danish Ambassador John Nielsen, who recently took office in Viet
Nam, Dung said that 2011 marked 40 years since the establishment of Viet
Nam-Denmark diplomatic ties. He said he hoped the Danish Government would
continue to provide Official Development Assistance (ODA) to Viet Nam,
especially capital to help the nation respond to climate change. He welcomed the
plan to visit Viet Nam by the Danish Crown Prince on the occasion of the 40th
anniversary, and asked the two sides to join hands to achieve practical results
from future high-level visits.

This
would be an important year in the two countries’ diplomatic history, Ambassador
Nielsen said, adding that the Crown Prince would lead a delegation of leading
Danish companies to seek opportunities for co-operation, especially in clean
technology, energy and seacooking, in Viet Nam this year.

Luxembourg
grants Vietnam EUR42 million aid

The Luxembourgian government pledged to provide
EUR42 million as non-refundable aid to Vietnam for priority
projects during the Vietnam – Luxembourg cooperation strategy in 2011-2015.

The statement was given at the
meeting of the Vietnam – Luxembourg Partnership Committee on February 13-15 with
the participation of a Vietnamese delegation led by Minister of Planning and
Investment, Vo Hong Phuc.

The Vietnamese delegation had a
working session with the General Director of the Luxembourg development aid
agency, and was greeted by Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker.

Meeting with the Luxembourg PM,
Minister Vo Hong Phuc expressed his thanks to the Luxembourgian government for
its support to Vietnam in the past.
PM Juncker praised cooperation between the two countries in all fields and
expressed his hope ties would be further developed.
Earlier, at the meeting of the Vietnam-Luxembourg Partnership Committee,
Minister Phuc and Marie Josee Jacobs, Luxembourg Minister of Development
Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, reviewed Luxembourg-funded projects in
Vietnam and the cooperation strategy between the two countries. These included
in agricultural and rural development, healthcare, personnel training and
poverty reduction.
In the 2011-2015 period, the Luxembourgian government pledged to provide EUR42
million as non-refundable aid to Vietnam to carry out projects prioritised by
the Vietnamese government.
Minister Phuc also visited Astra Company, a centre involved in global services
in the satellite management of Luxembourg.

PM approved
cultural diplomacy strategy

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved
Vietnam’s strategy for cultural diplomacy until 2020 to promote the
international community’s understanding of Vietnam’s country, people, and
culture.

The strategy aims to win the trust
of other nations in the world, develop and strengthen Vietnam’s relations with
other countries on a stable and sustainable basis and raise its position in the
international arena. Through its cultural diplomacy, Vietnam will absorb the
cultural quintessence of humankind to diversify its own cultural values.

The combination and interaction of
cultural, economic, and political diplomacy - three pillars of a comprehensive
diplomacy - will promote the implementation of the Party’s foreign policy.

PM Dung said the Ministries of
Foreign Affairs; Culture, Sports, and Tourism; Education and Training; Finance;
Home Affairs, and Information and Communications should co-ordinate efforts to
carry out the decision effectively.

Site of second
Party Congress to be preserved

The northern mountainous province of Tuyen Quang has
put into action a project to preserve the relic area where took place the second
National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV).

The second National Party Congress
in Tuyen Quang forest from February 11-19, 1951 was the first Party congress
ever held in the country and considered a great event in the war of resistance
against the French colonialists. The first congress was held in Macau, China in
1935.
The 14 ha project covers a conference hall, houses where late President Ho Chi
Minh and other leaders lived and worked, a memorial house of fallen combatants
and houses for domestic and foreign participants to the meetings.
According to Nguyen Viet Thanh, Director of the province’s Department of
Culture, Sports and Tourism, the department will continue to preserve the
relics, which are regarded as a “red address” for the education of younger
generations on the country’s revolutionary tradition.

VNN/VOV/VNS