VN marks ties with Chile, Morocco

Vietnamese leaders yesterday,
March 24, sent congratulatory messages
to the Republic of Chile and Morocco who are celebrating diplomatic relations
with Viet Nam.

President Nguyen Minh Triet and Prime
Minister Nguyen Tan Dung sent congratulatory messages to Chilean President
Sebastian Pinera Echenique to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Viet Nam-Chile
diplomatic relations.

Deputy Prime Minister cum Foreign Minister
Pham Gia Khiem also sent a congratulatory message to Chilean Foreign Minister
Alfredo Moreno Charme on the same day.

President Triet also sent a message to
Moroccan King Mohammed VI to congratulate the 50th anniversary of Viet
Nam-Morocco diplomatic relations.

Prime Minister Dung and Deputy Prime
Minister Khiem also sent congratulatory messages to Moroccan Prime Minister
Abbas Fassi and Foreign Minister Taieb El Fassi Fihri on the occasion.

PM meets with NA
female deputies

The image of the female
National Assembly deputies is also the image of the Vietnamese women and the
pride of the country, said Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

PM Dung emphasized this at a meeting with
female deputies to the 12th National Assembly’s last session in Hanoi on March
24.

The female deputies, representing the people’s will and expectation, have tried
their best to improve their political spirit, and professional skills and
fulfill their tasks during their tenure, said Mr. Dung.
The Government leader also highlighted Vietnamese women’s contributions to the
country’s socio-economic development.
He said the Party and State always attach great importance to raising the role
and position of women, ensuring gender equality, and creating favourable
conditions for women to devote themselves to the country’s development.
This is reflected in the Law on Gender Equality passed by the NA, a resolution
on women’s tasks in the process of national industrialisation and modernisation
issued by the Political Bureau, and an action plan for the implementation of the
national strategy on gender quality between 2011-2020 introduced by the
Government, he emphasised.
The female deputies promised to make further contributions to promoting national
construction and socio-economic development, gender equality and women’s
advancement in Vietnam.

CPV, Fatherland Front visit Peru

Delegations of the Communist Party of Viet
Nam and the Communist Party of Peru – Red Fatherland have held talks in Peru,
discussing measures to expand and increase friendship and bilateral
co-operation.

The talks took place during a working visit
to Peru from March 21-23 by a Vietnamese delegation led by Hoang Thanh Khiet,
Deputy Head of the Office of the Party Central Committee. The Communist Party of
Peru Red Fatherland delegation was headed by President Alberto Moreno.

While in Peru, the delegation held working
sessions with the new Left movement executive board, the open socialist movement
and the authorities of Cajamarca.

Earlier, from March 17-19, the Vietnamese
delegation visited Mexico, as guests of the Worker’s Party of Mexico, to attend
the 15th international workshop on “Political Parties and a New Society” in
Mexico City.

Swiss-VN dialogue promotes relations

The first political consultation between the foreign
ministries Viet Nam and Switzerland was held in Ha Noi yesterday, March 24.

The consultation was co-conducted by
Assistant to Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Quang Vinh and Vice Secretary of
State for the Swiss Foreign Ministry Beat Nobs.

The two sides spoke highly of positive
steps in the friendship and multifaceted co-operation between Viet Nam and
Switzerland in recent years, particularly in economics, trade, investment,
development co-operation and education and training.

They agreed to join hands in organising the
40th anniversary of Viet Nam-Switzerland diplomatic relations in 2011, which
will include economic, cultural and educational events, contributing to
increased friendship and mutual understanding between the two peoples.

Viet Nam affirmed its effective use of
Switzerland’s official development assistance. It thanked Switzerland for its
continuing provision of the assistance with a priority on new co-operation areas
such as climate change resilience, forest protection and clean and renewable
energy development.

Both sides discussed international and
regional issues of common concern and agreed to increase co-operation and
co-ordination at multilateral and international forums.

Viet Nam also affirmed its support for
Switzerland to boost co-operation with the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations.

For Switzerland’s part, it spoke highly of
Viet Nam’s achievement in socio-economic development, particularly in poverty
reduction and fulfilment of some UN Millennium Development Goals ahead of
schedule.

It was impressed by the elevation of Viet
Nam’s international position, especially after the country successfully
fulfilled its role as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the
2008-2009 term and ASEAN Chair in 2010.

VN promotes co-operation with Saudi Arabia on
energy, cookingstuffs

President Nguyen Minh Triet requested Viet Nam and Saudi
Arabia to find new, specific points of co-operation with a view to supplementing
each other’s strengths and boosting bilateral trade.

Triet made the request during a reception
given for Saudi Arabian Agriculture Minister Fahad Bin Abdul Rahman Balghanim
and Commerce and Industry Minister Abdullah Bin Ahmad Zainal Ali Ridha in the
capital yesterday.

He said the two sides needed to strengthen
co-operation.

Triet confirmed that Viet Nam was willing
to support Saudi Arabia in ensuring food security, while calling upon Saudi
Arabia to help Viet Nam ensure energy security.

The President recommended both sides
rapidly consider an energy and foodstuffs partnership and expanded labour export
co-operation.

He also requested the drafting of
investment policies and trade promotion activities for businesses in the two
countries.

Balghanim and Ridha said agriculture played
an important role in Saudi Arabia’s economy, and it wanted to rapidly implement
agricultural investment projects in Viet Nam.

They said Saudi Arabia was also willing to
build long-term strategic relations with Viet Nam on energy. They also called
for increased Saudi Arabian investment in the country.

VNN/VOV/VNS