Security and defence ties with Russia to get specific priority

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong welcomes Russian Security Council Secretary General N P Patrushev yesterday on his visit to Ha Noi. (Photo: VNS)

Viet Nam has always attached great
importance to the development of its traditional friendship and comprehensive
cooperation with Russia, with specific priority to security and defence, Party
General Secretary and National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Phu Trong has said.

The
leader made his affirmation at a reception given to visiting Russian Security
Council Secretary General N P Patrushev in Ha Noi yesterday, June 8.

Trong
said he hoped that the visit would help further promote the Viet Nam-Russia
strategic partnership as well as the development of co-operation on security and
defence.

General
Patrushev said he was delighted with the development of bilateral co-operation
on various fields, including security and defence, to which Russia has pledged
its continued commitment.

State
President visits northeastern island

As an outpost island district, Co To needs to pay
attention to maintaining defence, security and sea and island sovereignty,
creating favourable conditions for socio-economic development, said State
President Triet.

Mr. Triet made the request at his recent visit to Co
To island in the northeastern province of Quang Ninh.
“The people and armed forces in Co To defend the country’s sea and islands in
Quang Ninh province on behalf of those nationwide. We want peace, friendship,
stability in the country’s sea areas and islands, and we are determined to do
our best to defend our sea areas and islands. Many generations laid down their
lives for the Fatherland, so we are ready to dedicate all to defend our native
villages and defend sea and island sovereignty,” the President said.
He shared his sympathy for the difficulties in the daily life of the soldiers
and people on the island, asking the Vietnam Coal and Mineral Industry
Corporation to build a thermal electricity power project on Co To Island to
ensure adequate power supply for production and daily life.
Secretary of the Co To district Party Committee Nguyen Duc Thanh provided a
briefed the President on the district’s socio-economic development and its
strengths in sea and tourism as well as defence security.

Co To caught 16,000 tonnes of
seacooking in the first five months of this year, welcomed over 3,000 tourists and
reached a per capita income of US$830 in 2010.
He proposed a link-up with the national electricity grid, building a helipad and
expanding the Ho Chi Minh relic site on the island.
During the visit, President Triet visited the workers’ village of Viglacera Ha
Long joint stock company in Hoanh Bo district on June 8.
Co To island district includes more than 40 islands with a total area of 4,600
hectares. About 150km offshore from Quang Ninh’s capital city of Ha Long, Co To
has a population over 5,000.

Ties
with Cambodian engineer corp praised

Lieut Gen
Nguyen Trung Thu, deputy chief of General Staff of the Viet Nam People’s Army,
yesterday met with visiting General Quan Siem, commander of the Engineering
Corps of the Cambodian Royal Army, in Ha Noi.

At the
meeting, Lieut Gen Thu praised the fruitful co-operation between the engineering
corps of both countries in exchanging professional skills in bomb and mine
clearance, building defence establishments, and using specialised equipment in
training and coping with natural disasters.

Cambodia
called on Viet Nam to assist it in setting up an army engineer school and
technical training centre for Cambodian Royal Army engineers.

Bilateral relationship with Italy still has potential

The bilateral
relationship between Viet Nam and Italy had experienced significant growth in
recent years, but untapped potential remained, said Deputy Minister of Planning
and Investment Dang Huy Dong during a conference yesterday, June 8.

Dong described the
event as a good chance for policymakers to draw up effective policies and move
towards creating favourable conditions for the two nations’ small- and
medium-sized enterprises to foster co-ordination.

In his speech at the
event, Italian Ambassador to Viet Nam Lorenzo Angeloni said Italy was
facilitating the establishment of joint ventures between businesses from the two
countries.

However, in order to
attract more Italian investment, Viet Nam needed to create a good investment
climate, he said.

During the event,
Stefano Giovanelli, director of Italian regional agency for trade promotion
Toscana Promozione explained the Tuscany region’s policies and experiences in
developing its footwear, wood and renewable energy sectors.

He added that a
business delegation, led by the region’s Governor, would travel to Viet Nam in
November to seek co-operation with Vietnamese firms.

Last year, Toscana
Promozione inked a co-operation agreement with the Ministry of Industry and
Trade’s Trade Promotion Agency.

Under the agreement,
the two sides agreed to strengthen and support the development of trade and
investment.

The two sides would
share information regarding markets and trade, and economic policies affecting
trade relations between the two business communities.

Deputy Prime Minister visits Myanmar

The visit aims to strengthen the fine traditional
ties of friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Myanmar.

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung
Hai and his entourage left Hanoi on June 9 to begin a four-day visit to Myanmar.

Mr Hai was accompanied by Minister
of Construction Nguyen Hong Quan, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Doan Xuan
Hung, Deputy Minister of Defence Nguyen Chi Vinh, Deputy Minister of Public
Security To Lam, Deputy Minister of Finance Nguyen Cong Nghiep, Deputy Minister
of Industry and Trade Nguyen Thanh Bien, Deputy Minister of Planning and
Investment Dang Huy Dong, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Viet Tien, Deputy
Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Nguyen Linh Ngoc, Vice Chairman of
the Government Office Van Trong Ly, Vietnamese Ambassador to Myanmar Chu Cong
Phung, Vice Chairman of the Son La province People’s Committee Trang Thi Xuan
and more than 120 Vietnamese businesses.

The two sides will review the
implementation of the commercial and investment agreements reached by the two
countries during Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s visit to Myanmar in April 2010
and devise measures to boost cooperation in the future.

Vietnam, Republic of Korea keen to develop strategic
partnership

Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK) are actively
preparing to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic
ties, said RoK Ambassador to Vietnam Ha Chan-ho.

At a press briefing in Hanoi on June
8, the Korean diplomat expressed his wish to see bilateral ties grow into
strategic partnership.

In 2011, he said, the RoK plans to
provide Vietnam with an aid package worth $215 million for a number projects,
including those to equip Danang hospital, build a solar energy plant in Quang
Binh, and upgrade the water supply and drainage system in Long Xuyen.

In 2010, the RoK was Vietnam’s
second largest ODA donor with a total approved amount of US$1.255 trillion.

It has devised an ODA strategy to
help Vietnam achieve sustainable growth, train human resources, improve traffic
infrastructure, and develop rural areas in the next five years (2011-2015).

Ambassador Chan-ho stressed that RoK
business operations must be closely associated with social responsibility to
help generate jobs, develop support industries and boost exports.

On this occasion, the RoK Ambassador
granted VND141 million to the Vietnam Fatherland Front to assist underprivileged
children.

Indonesian President highlights Vietnam’s
achievements

The newly-appointed Vietnamese ambassador to
Indonesia, Nguyen Xuan Thuy, presented his credentials to Indonesian President
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyhono on June 8.

At a reception for the ambassador,
President Yudhoyhono expressed his delight at the development of
Indonesia-Vietnam traditional relations and Vietnam’s achievements in the
current process of renewal and integration into the region and the world as a
whole.

He also appreciated Vietnam’s
positive contributions to the development of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) and expressed his hope that ambassador Thuy will fulfill his
mission and contribute to promoting the friendship between the two countries.

The Vietnamese diplomat pledged to
make every effort to tighten the ties between the two governments and people for
peace, security, stability, cooperation, and prosperity in the region.

He said he believes that Indonesia
will fulfill its role as ASEAN chair in 2011.

Transport pollution control plan approved

Controlling pollution
in a sustainable green transport sector is part of a five-year plan approved by
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung.

As part of the plan,
priority will be given to 18 projects costing about VND700 billion (US$34
million) to come from the State budget.

Projects will include
a legal framework and policies on environmental management, boosting Viet Nam’s
participation in international law enforcement; managing waste generated by
transport activities; raising public awareness; and applying scientific and
technological advances.

The plan will also
point out main targets to 2015, including to have all transport enterprises to
introduce environmental and waste management systems.

By 2015, the country
will replace at least 25 per cent of its train carriages and install equipment
to collect and treat waste in at least 80 per cent of its coach stations.

It will also map out
the effects of sound in 50 per cent of the nation’s airports and recommend
measures to deal with it.

In the plan, Viet Nam
will target to develop an environmentally friendly transport system by 2030 and
to properly control elements causing pollution in all sectors: road, railway,
inland waterways, sea and air.

It will also introduce
incentives to encourage individuals, organisations and the private sector to
support the plan and invest in green technology in transport activities.

Operating rules for reservoirs issued

Prime
Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has signed a decision regulating operating procedures
at major hydroelectric reservoirs during this year’s rainy season.

These
reservoirs include Son La, Hoa Binh, Tuyen Quang and Thac Ba.

Under
the decision, hydroelectric reservoirs must adjust water levels to prevent
flooding.

In
particular, major power plants must ensure that lowland areas of Ha Noi and the
northern delta do not flood.

Under
the decision, reservoir water levels have been set for the pre-flood period
(June 15 to July 15), the main-flood season (July 16 and August 25) and the
post-flood period (August 26 and September 15).

To avoid
damage to major hydroelectric projects, dyke systems and watercraft, discharges
from reservoirs must follow a set timetable.

Hoa Binh
Reservoir will open and close its first six discharge doors every six hours,
while Tuyen Quang Reservoir will open and close its first four discharge doors
every six hours. The opening of the remaining discharge doors in both reservoirs
should be less frequent and for a shorter period of time, the decision states.

Meanwhile, officials at the Hoa Binh Reservoir have been ordered not to
discharge more than 4,300 cubic metres per second of water to lowland areas,
while Tuyen Quang must not release more than 1,500 cubic metres per second.

The new
procedures, which took effect on June 6, are in force until December 31 this
year.

Deputy
Director of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment’s Vietnamese
Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Environment Tran Hong Thai said that
procedures, if carried out effectively, could be vital in preventing droughts
and floods throughout the country.

Co-operation between reservoir managers and local authorities was essential to
ensure effective operation, Thai confirmed.

VNN/VOV/VNS/VNA