US
Congress to support VN ties

The
United States Congress would support the enhancement of Viet Nam-US
co-operation, said US Senator Daniel Inouye in meetings with senior Vietnamese
officials in Ha Noi yesterday, April 28.

Deputy Chairman Uong Chu Luu receives Daniel Inouye. (Photo: VNA)

The
President pro tempore of the US Senate told Viet Nam’s National Assembly deputy
chairman Uong Chu Luu, Politburo member and Government Office head Nguyen Xuan
Phuc and Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh that the US expected to boost
trade, investment and education relations with Viet Nam.

Climate
change, water resources and Agent Orange-related issues will also be among the
common interests of both sides during Inouye’s four-day visit to Viet Nam, which
started on Wednesday.

Phuc
said the two countries had taken positive steps forward in their bilateral ties,
particularly in the fields of trade, investment, education and humanity.

Minh
said the US would continue to be one of Viet Nam’s leading strategic partners.

The
American politician said he would support Viet Nam’s proposal to establish a
Viet Nam-US Friendly Parliarmentarians Group.

In
another meeting with General Phung Quang Thanh, Minister of Defence, he
expressed his gratitude towards Viet Nam for doing everything it could to help
the US find the remains of soldiers missing in action, and said he hoped they
would continue to co-operate in the future.

Viet
Nam, Cambodia vow to crush smuggling, trade fraud

Viet Nam and Cambodia will increase
customs co-operation, focusing on border co-operation, to create favourable
conditions for the two countries’ trade and struggle against smuggling and trade
fraud under a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed in Phnom Penh on
Wednesday.

The MoU
was signed by Director General of the Viet Nam General Department of Customs
Nguyen Ngoc Tuc and Director General of Customs and Excise Department of the
Royal Government of Cambodia Pen Siman.

Director
general Pen Siman affirmed that relations between the two customs agencies have
developed strongly, contributing to the economic development of both countries.

Director
general Tuc proposed Cambodia increase exchanges of information relating to
imports and exports of goods and the fight against smuggling and trade fraud via
borders and create favourable conditions relating to exit and entry procedures
for tourists between the two countries.

He
suggested Cambodia organise a third border customs conference in Cambodia in the
third quarter of this year and effectively enhance bilateral meetings between
customs agencies of border provinces between the two countries.

The
Vietnamese side proposed Cambodia create favourable conditions for Vietnamese
businesses to bring provisionally-imported machines and equipment to Cambodia to
implement rubber plantation projects.

The two
sides shared a common concern about forecasts that indicated that the smuggling
and illegal transport of goods via the Viet Nam-Cambodia border would become
more complex.

The
Vietnamese delegation is scheduled to attend a customs conference between ASEAN
countries, Japan and the Asian Development Bank today in Phnom Penh.

Germany to help VN bolster EU relations

Germany
would strongly support Viet Nam’s efforts to increase co-operation with the
European Union, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said.

In a
telephone conversation with Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung yesterday, the German
leader said she would do her best to help the Viet Nam-EU Partnership and
Co-operation Agreement (PCA) gain approval by the EU.

The
agreement, completed last year following two-years of negotiations, is expected
to provide a framework for stronger co-operation in many areas between Viet Nam
and European countries.

Merkel
also promised her support so that negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement
between Viet Nam and the EU could get started.

Prime
Minister Nguyen Tan Dung said he was pleased with the multifaceted co-operation
between Viet Nam and Germany, the country’s biggest EU trade partner.

Two-way
trade volume, which reached more than US$4.1 billion last year, has increased by
about 15 per cent year-on-year.

The two
Government leaders discussed measures to put on track major co-operation
projects, including metro route number 2 and the Viet Nam-Germany University,
both in HCM City.

The
Vietnamese Prime Minister said he was happy that Germany continued to offer
official development assistance (ODA) to Viet Nam, despite the credit crunch in
Europe.

A visit
to Viet Nam by the German Chancellor has been scheduled for October this year.

More
than 200 German enterprises, including world giants, operate in the Vietnamese
market.

VNN/VOV/VNS