Vietnam attends 16th NAM Ministerial Meeting

A Vietnamese
delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh participated in the
16th Ministerial Meeting of the Non-aligned Movement (NAM) and a ceremony to
mark the 50th founding anniversary of NAM, in Bali, Indonesia from May 24-27.

Vietnam was elected as one of the Vice Chairs of the meeting, which drew the
participation of over 130 delegations from NAM member countries, observers and
international organisations.

The delegates approved the meeting’s documents and declarations on celebrating
the 50 th NAM founding anniversary and Palestinian refugees. The meeting also
admitted Fiji and Azerbaijan , raising the total number of NAM members to 120.

Speaking at the event, the Vietnamese delegation head highlighted the historical
significance of NAM over the past five decades as it gathered the indispensable
political forces of developing countries, protected basic principles of the
international law and UN Charter, and united against superpower policies,
striving to build fair and equal international relations and strengthen
friendship and cooperation among member countries.

Minh said that NAM should maintain its existing basic principles which were
considered its guidelines during the past 50 years, especially the principle of
respecting the independence and sovereignty of nations.

“The movement should improve its role and strengthen solidarity to address
current global challenges while accelerating the UN reshuffle, implementing
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and solving burning issues through peaceful
solutions, actively contributing to maintaining international peace and
security, and for the sustainable and prosperous development of all nations,” he
said.

According to the Vietnamese representative, NAM needed to have a stronger, more
united standpoint on fighting interventions in countries’ internal affairs under
the mask of democracy and human rights, or the unilateral imposition of embargo
measures on several NAM countries.

Deputy FM Minh affirmed that during the struggle for national independence as
well as in the current renewal, industrialisation and modernisation period,
Vietnam had actively participated in NAM activities.

With its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation and
diversification of international relations, and proactive international
integration along with becoming an active and responsible member of the
international community, Vietnam would make more practical contributions to the
movement’s goals in order to build a peaceful and prosperous world.

On the sidelines of the NAM Ministerial Meeting, Deputy FM Minh met with heads
of several foreign delegations, including Cuba, Venezuela, Laos, Cambodia,
India, Belarus, Sri Lanka, El Salvador, Colombia, Kazakhstan, New Zealand,
Bhutan and Slovenia.

African Day celebrated in Vietnam

47th Africa Day in 2010. (Source: VNA)

A solemn ceremony was
held in Hanoi on May 26 to mark the 48th African Day (May 25, 1963) and the
establishment of the African Union (AU).

Speaking at the ceremony, co-organised by the diplomatic corps of African
countries in Vietnam and the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO),
South African Ambassador to Vietnam Ratubatsi Super Moloi vowed to boost all
decisions made during the 2010 Vietnam-Africa International Workshop, especially
measures to strengthen mutual understanding, expand foreign relations and
complete legal frameworks and cooperation mechanisms for trade and investment
ties between Vietnam and African countries.

The AU was building and consolidating its mechanisms in order to ensure peace,
democracy and development on the continent, he said.

Vietnamese Minister of Education and Training Pham Vu Luan spoke highly of
recent encouraging developments in Vietnam-Africa relations, reflected by
numerous visits by leaders of Vietnam and African countries.

He said the two sides should make overall assessments on economic trade and
cultural relations and formulate cooperative pathways in agriculture, energy,
education and health, in order to build a partnership that matched the potential
and expectations of the Vietnamese and African people.

The minister expressed his belief that the Vietnam-Africa relationship would
further develop in the future for the benefit of both Vietnamese and African
people, as well as for peace, stability and development in the region and the
world at large.

On the occasion, the South African Ambassador to Vietnam congratulated Vietnam
on the success of the 11th National Party Congress and the elections of deputies
to the 13th National Assembly and People’s Councils at all levels.

US receives Vietnamese ambassador

Vietnamese ambassador to the US Nguyen Quoc Cuong
has pledged to help improve Vietnam-US relations during his new term of office.

He made the commitment at a reception given by
Baker & McKenzie law firm in Washington, DC on May 26.

Ambassador Cuong noted that Vietnam-US relations
have continued developing in all fields over recent years, especially in
economics, science and technology, education and health care.

Vietnam and the US have also cooperated closely
in handling regional and international issues related to climate change,
anti-terrorism and nuclear non-proliferation, he said.

On regional level, Vietnam and the US share
strategic interests in strengthening and consolidating the Association of
Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and boost the association’s role in the
Asia-Pacific region, Ambassador Cuong emphasised.

He said Vietnam and the US expect to bring
bilateral relations to a new height and they are considering the best ways of
ensuring mutual benefits as well as peace, stability, cooperation and
development in the region.

Baker & McKenzie is a leading international law
firm headquartered in Chicago, Illinois state. It has 3,750 lawyers and has 69
representative offices in 41 countries over the world. Since its operation in
Vietnam in 1993, the law firm has offered consultancy advice on business,
finance, insurance, intellectual property and investment.

Vietnam, Laos strengthen procuracy cooperation

The second meeting of the people’s procuracy sector
of Vietnamese and Lao border provinces took place in the central Lao province of
Savannakhet on May 25-26.

The Vietnamese delegation was led by Tran Quoc
Vuong, Director of the Supreme People’s Procuracy, while the Lao delegation was
headed by Director of the Supreme People’s Procuracy Somphanh Phengkhammy.

During the meeting, the two sides discussed
measures to strengthen legal cooperation in preventing organised transnational
criminals, especially drug and human traffickers, in Vietnamese and Lao border
provinces.

The two sides were keen to boost the efficiency
of comprehensive cooperation between the two countries’ procuracy sectors.

VNN/VOV/VNA