Vietnam ready to assist Japan’s
reconstruction

Vietnam is ready to
participate in Japan’s reconstruction after natural disasters by providing
human resources, construction materials and necessary goods for the
country.

Mr. Truong Tan Sang meets with Japan’s parliamentary leader Takeaki Matsumoto (source: VNA)

This statement was made by Truong Tan Sang, Politburo member and
permanent member of the Secretariat of the Communist Party of Vietnam
Central Committee, while meeting with Japan’s parliamentary leaders, Foreign
Minister Takeaki Matsumoto and former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, during his
visit to the country, starting on June 1.
While expressing sympathy with the Japanese government and people towards
the great losses caused by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami disaster, Mr
Sang affirmed that, “Vietnam will do its utmost to help Japan overcome its
current difficult period”.

Regarding the bilateral relationship over the past 40 years, the
Politburo member stressed that the Vietnamese Party and State highly values
the ties with Japan and plan to comprehensively develop the strategic
partnership between the two countries for peace and prosperity in Asia.

Vietnam always pays attention to promoting the efficiency of the use of
ODA, he said, suggesting the Japanese side continue maintaining this capital
source at high levels for Vietnam.

Mr Sang also suggested strengthening bilateral cooperation to cope with
climate change and making 2013, the year marking the 40^th
anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two nations, the “Vietnam-Japan
Friendship Year.”

Speaker of Japan’s House of Representatives Takahiro Yokomichi and
Speaker of the Senate Takeo Nishioka thanked the Vietnamese Government and
people for their valuable support for Japan after the earthquake and tsunami
calamity.

They expressed their wish that the two parliaments would make more
efforts to further boost the strategic partnership between the two
countries.

Foreign Minister Takeaki Matsumoto shared the parliamentary leaders’ wish
to boost the strategic partnership between the two countries.

The President and CEO of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC),
Hirosgi Watanabe affirmed his willingness to continue working with the
Vietnamese government to boost bilateral investment cooperation in the time
to come.

13th NA first session to focus on personnel

The main focus in the first session of the 13th
National Assembly will be personnel selection. This will be key to the success
of following sessions, Party General Secretary cum National Assembly Chairman
Nguyen Phu Trong said.

Trong made the statement yesterday while
chairing a meeting of the NA Standing Committee in which deputies discussed the
first session of the 13th NA.

Trong highlighted the importance of the
13th NA’s first session as a transition between two National Assemblies.

According to NA Office Chairman Tran Dinh
Dan, the session is scheduled to open on July 21 and wrap up on August 5.

Deputies will use 11 of those days to work
on personnel organisation.

They would also consider and make a
decision on a programme to build laws and ordinances in 2012; review the
implementation of the socio-economic development plan and State budget for the
first six months of the year; and discuss measures to reach the social-economic
development and State budget targets for the last six months of the year, he
said.

Related to the law building programme, Dan
said the Government had asked for draft laws on water resources and higher
education to be submitted following the second session, so there was more time
for research and preparation in the opening session.

Chairman of the NA Committee for National
Defence and Security Le Quang Binh and Chairwoman of the NA Committee for Social
Affairs Truong Thi Mai agreed with the Standing Committee’s request for more
time to report on the implementation of the socio-economic development plan and
State budget.

Social economic issues were of great
concern to people, thus they needed appropriate attention, Mai said.

Trong also agreed with the Government’s
proposal to put off the discussion of the two draft laws until the next session.

Vietnam-Italy
relations keep growing

Vietnam-Italy relations
have been further strengthened by exchange of visits by high-ranking leaders
as seen in the implementation of economic and trade cooperation projects
between the two countries.

Bui Ba Bong, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development and
President of the Vietnam-Italy Friendship Association made this statement at
a ceremony to celebrate the 65^th Italian National Day and the 150^th
anniversary of Italian unification, in Hanoi on June 1.

Bong said that last year, Vietnam exported US$980.14 million worth of
goods to Italy, up 21.8 percent, while Italy’s export turnover to Vietnam
reached US$822.4 million, a rise of 13.26 percent.

He added that the Vietnam-Italy cooperation in training, culture, science
and technology is continuously developing.

Italian Ambassador to Vietnam Lorenzo Angeloni highly appreciated the
development of bilateral cooperation in the fields of economics, culture and
development.

He said that the Embassy of Italy in Vietnam will do its utmost to create
favourable conditions for the two countries’ businesses to cooperate.

The Embassy recently launched the Italy-Vietnam project, with many
activities designed to further promote understanding and friendly and
multifaceted cooperation between the two countries.

VNN/VOV/VNS