Review on external affairs from Jan. 30-Feb. 5: Deputy PM Tran Luu Quang worked with MOFA; FM attended 32nd ACC, AMMR
WVR - Review on a number of news headlines on external affairs from Jan. 30-Feb. 5 by The World and Vietnam Report.
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| Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son and ASEAN Foreign Ministers, Timor Leste at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Retreat (AMMR) 2023. (Source: VNA) |
Leaders’ activities
On the occasion of the 93rd anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of Vietnam (February 3, 1930 - 2023), the Central Committee of the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and the Central Committee of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) sent messages of congratulations to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV).
In its message, the LPRP Central Committee praised the CPV for initiating and leading the cause of Doi moi (Renewal) in Vietnam, which has reaped great, comprehensive achievements, contributing to ensuring political stability, strengthening national defence and security, and fulfilling the dual goals of COVID-19 prevention and control, and socio-economic development and recovery.
In its message, the CPP Central Committee congratulated the Vietnamese Party, State and people on the great achievements they have recorded over the past time, and noted with pleasure the continuous developments of the friendship, traditional solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties, States and peoples, affirming its determination to further advance the bilateral relationship.
On January 31, at the Headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang had a working session with the Foreign Minister and the Ministry's key officials on the implementation of external relations work in 2023.
Deputy Prime Minister Tran Luu Quang asked the Ministry to actively submit to the Party and State proposal on external policies as well as suitable measures and steps to take full advantages of opportunities and favorable conditions for national development and defence.
Activities of the Foreign Minister
On February 1, on the occasion of Ms. Nanaia Mahuta's re-appointment as New Zealand's Foreign Minister, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son sent a congratulatory message.
From February 3-4, at the invitation of Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son attended the 32nd ASEAN Coordinating Council Meeting (ACC) and ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat (AMMR) in Jakarta, Indonesia. The ACC and AMMR meetings are among the first activities of Indonesia as the ASEAN Chair in 2023.
Addressing the AMMR in Jakarta, Foreign Minister Son emphasized the need for ASEAN to maintain a balanced and harmonious approach to its partners, promote the effectiveness and value of ASEAN-led mechanisms, and better the building of mutual trust and understanding for cooperation in response to emerging issues. Foreign Minister Son said that initiatives in the region should come from the goodwill of cooperation, complementarity and reciprocity to ASEAN-led mechanisms, thus contributing to the common goal of peace, security, stability and development.
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| Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son and his Lao and Indonesian counterparts take photo with reporters at AMMR 2023. (Source: VNA) |
On this occasion, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son met with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, Malaysian Foreign Minister Dato’s Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir, the Philippine Foreign Minister Enrique A. Manalo, and the Timor-Leste Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Adaljiza Albertina Xavier Reis Magno.
Bilateral activities
On February 3, Ambassador Dang Minh Khoi and officials of the Vietnamese Embassy in Russia paid a working visit to the headquarters of the Russia-Vietnam Oil and Gas Joint Venture (Rusvietpetro) in Moscow. Ambassador Dang Minh Khoi highly appreciated Rusvietpetro's achievements over the 15 years of operation and affirmed that oil and gas is one of the key fields of cooperation between Vietnam and Russia.
On January 30, the Foreign Affairs Committee of St. Petersburg, Russia, held a hybrid conference on the 73rd anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and Vietnam. The participants reviewed the history of the development of the traditional friendship between the two countries, as well as towards the 100th anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh's arrival in Petrograd (June 30, 1923 - 2023), now St. Petersburg, seeking ways for the national salvation. The Administration of St. Petersburg and Vietnamese authorities will erect a statue of President Ho in the city.
Addressing the function, Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia Dang Minh Khoi affirmed that the Vietnam-Russia relationship has stood the test of time to develop positively over the past 73 years. In his remarks, Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Gennady Bezdetko noted Vietnam is always one of Russia’s closest and most reliable partners in the Asia-Pacific region. Bilateral cooperation in key fields has been maintained, and Vietnam remains Russia’s largest trading partner in ASEAN.
Multilateral activities
Sharing on the outcomes of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat in Jakarta, Indonesia from February 3-4, Ambassador Vu Ho, Acting Head of ASEAN SOM Vietnam, said that Vietnamese delegation to the AMMR, led by Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, has actively contributed ideas to creating ASEAN's consensus on many important decisions such as measures to improve the group's institution effectiveness, implement the five-point consensus on the Myanmar issue, and support Timor Leste.
According to Ambassador Vu Ho, Foreign Minister Son announced Vietnam's plans to organise activities to promote inclusive recovery in ASEAN, respond to climate change, energy transition, as well as a number of cooperation activities with partners such as the Republic of Korea Day in ASEAN, and ASEAN-China meetings on the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC).
On the occasion of Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son leading the Vietnamese delegation to the AMMR, Ambassador Nguyen Hai Bang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to ASEAN, shared information on the main contents and significance of this event. Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son’s attendance at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat (AMM Retreat) in Jakarta will contribute to enhancing solidarity and consensus in ASEAN, thus elevating Vietnam’s role and position in ASEAN and international forums, stressed the Ambassador.
On February 4, speaking at the second ASEAN-Russia Tourism Ministers Meeting, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Doan Van Viet affirmed that Russia is an important market for ASEAN tourism and is always located in the group of leading markets of Vietnam before the pandemic.
On February 2, ASEAN Senior Officials (SOMs) met at the headquarters of the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia to review the preparations for the 32nd ACC and the AMMR taking place on February 3-4. Ambassador Vu Ho, Acting Head of SOM ASEAN Vietnam led the Vietnamese delegation to attend the meeting.
On February 1, at the headquarters of the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the United Nations (UN) in New York, Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam, and Ambassador Dennis Francis Smith, Representative of Trinidad and Tobago to the United Nations (UN), on behalf of the two Governments, signed the Joint Statement on the establishment of the diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Accordingly, Vietnam and Trinidad and Tobago agreed to exchange diplomatic representatives at the ambassadorial-level under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. On the same day, the document was sent to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for circulation and to UN member countries for information.
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| Vietnam, Trinidad and Tobago establish diplomatic ties on February 1, 2023: Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang (R), Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations, and Ambassador Dennis Francis Smith, Representative of Trinidad and Tobago to the United Nations (UN) exhange the Joint Statement. (Photo: WVR)) |
On January 31, Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang received Ambassador Sophea Eat, the new Head of Cambodia's Permanent Mission to the United Nations, to pay a courtesy visit on the occasion of the start of his working term.
On January 30, speaking at the first informal consultation session of the intergovernmental process to discuss and launch the Global Digital Compact (GDC), Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN said that Vietnam pledges to actively participate in and contribute to the building of the Global Digital Compact to promote the implementation of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda.
Other activities
In an interview with the press, Acting Director General of the Consular Department Doan Hoang Minh reviewed the implementation of consular work at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and at Vietnamese representative Missions abroad in the past year and affirmed to promote the reform of administrative procedures in consular work in the coming time.
Celebrating the Lunar New Year of the Cat, last week, many Vietnamese Representative Missions abroad organized "Homeland Spring" programme and cultural festival with the participation of a large number of Vietnamese community and international friends.
