US MIA league visits Defence Ministry headquarters

The Executive Director of the National League of POW/MIA Families (the US), Ann Mills Griffiths, met Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Defence Nguyen Chi Vinh at the ministry’s headquarters on March 18.

During the meeting, Griffiths spoke highly of the Vietnamese Government’s support in previous years for issues concerning American families whose members went missing during the Vietnam War.

She expressed her wish for further attention and cooperation from the Vietnamese Ministry of Defence as well as other Vietnamese agencies.

Meanwhile, General Nguyen Chi Vinh said the Ministry of Defence welcomed Director Griffiths and members of the MIA League to Vietnam. He affirmed that recent cooperation between Vietnam and the League has produced encouraging results, which demonstrates Vietnam’s goodwill in helping US families to search for their missing.

Vinh said he hoped the MIA League will continue its activities in the near future to further boost multifaceted ties between the two countries.

Party General Secretary Trong welcomes Cambodian leader

Party General Secretary and National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong yesterday presented a warm welcome to Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Mem Sam An during her visit to Viet Nam.

Mem Sam An, who is also President of the Cambodia-Viet Nam Friendship Parliamentarian Group, expressed her gratitude to Vietnamese leaders and citizens for their warm welcome. She congratulated the success of the 11th National Party Congress and Trong’s new position as the Party General Secretary.

She reported on Cambodia’s major political and socio-economic issues, and its important achievements in the development process. Men Sam An thanked Viet Nam for its support in Cambodia’s wars of national salvation and its current cause for national development.

Trong said he appreciated the effective relationship that the parliamentarian groups of the two countries shared, and congratulated Cambodia for its great achievement during the country’s development process. He also affirmed that Viet Nam always gave priorities to collaboration with Cambodia in all aspects for the benefits of the two nations, and for peace, stability and development in the region and in the world.

Nation discusses border co-operation with China

The first session of the Viet Nam-China Land Border Joint Committee in Beijing ended yesterday after five days of discussions.

The two sides reviewed their activities after the completion of the land border demarcation and marker planting and fulfilled tasks as scheduled to put documents on the Viet Nam-China land border into practice.

Both sides discussed orientations to implement future border management and agreed on important issues on operational mechanisms for border representatives, the construction of projects on border rivers and streams and border gate management.

They also discussed speeding up negotiations for an early signing of an agreement on free water traffic in the Bac Luan rivermouth area and a co-operative agreement on tapping into tourism potential in the Ban Gioc waterfall area.

Both countries agreed to work closely in maintaining security in border areas to prevent illegal migration, trafficking of women and children, drug smuggling and transnational crimes.

They agreed to increase awareness campaigns targeting people in border areas to encourage respect for the common borderline. They also agreed to exchange information and co-operation in environmental protection and use of water resources.

The session took place in an atmosphere of friendship and frankness, contributing to developing the Viet Nam-China land border into a borderline of peace, friendship, co-operation and development.

Both sides agreed to convene the second session of the committee in Ha Noi in the last quarter of this year.