Review on external affairs from May 29-June 4: Australian PM’s visit to Vietnam; improving efficiency of consular work, citizen protection abroad
WVR - Review on a number of news headlines on external affairs from May 29-June 4 by The World and Vietnam Report.
Latest
 |
| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. (Photo: WVR) |
Leaders’ activities
Vietnamese leaders have sent message of condolences to Indian counterpars following the train accident on Friday, 2 June 2023, which claimed the lives of hundreds of people in the state of Odisha.
On June 3, President Vo Van Thuong sent a message of condolences to his Indian counterpart Droupadi Murmu over the deadly train crash, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh also extended his condolences to Indian PM Narendra Modi. The same day, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son also sent a message of condolences to Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar over the accident.
On May 29, President Vo Van Thuong sent a message of congratulation to Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his re-election as President of the Republic of Turkey.
Recently, President Vo Van Thuong has signed Decision No. 588/2023/QD-CTN approving the Vietnam-Laos Agreement on mutual judicial assistance in civil matters at the request of the Government on May 22. The ratified Agreement is expected to help modernise the legal basis for mutual legal assistance cooperation in civil matters between authorised agencies of Vietnam and Laos, and at the same time, supplement regulations to improve the legal basis related to mutual legal assistance, thereby contributing to the enhancement of the fine relationship between the two countries.
From June 3-4, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese paid an official visit to Vietnam, at the invitation of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. This is the first time Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has visited Vietnam since taking office in May 2022. The visit took place in the context of Vietnam and Australia celebrating the 50th anniversary of the two countries' establishment of diplomatic relations.
 |
| Official welcome ceremony held for Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the Presidential Palace. (Photo: WVR/Nguyen Hong) |
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese attended the official welcome ceremony, hold talks with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, witnessed the signing of cooperation documents and co-chaired a press briefing on the outcomes of their talks; had meetings with General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, President Vo Van Thuong, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue. At the joint press conference Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said the talks were a success with two sides acknowledging the sound and effective development of the ties between the two countries.
Within the framework of the visit, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Australian delegation laid wreaths at the Mausoleum of President Ho Chi Minh. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese engaged in an exchange with the women’s football teams of the two countries in Hanoi. In addition, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also had a number of side activities such as enjoying Hanoi's foods and drinks; visiting RMIT University, United Nations International School Hanoi UNIS.
On May 30, Vice President Vo Thi Anh Xuan received a high-ranking delegation of the National Council of the Solidarity Front for the Development of the Cambodian Motherland led by Nhem Valy, Permanent Vice Chairman and Secretary General of the National Council of the Solidarity for the Development of Cambodian Motherland. The Vice President congratulated Cambodia on its successful chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) in 2022, and its successful organisation of the 32nd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 32) in May.
On May 31, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha received Ambassador of the Netherlands to Vietnam Kees van Baar and US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc E. Knapper. During the reception for Dutch Ambassador to Vietnam Kees van Baar, Deputy Prime Minister Ha welcomed Dutch firms and partners to join in the pilot scheme for rooftop solar installation in Vietnam. The Deputy PM said Vietnam and the Netherlands are strategic partners in climate change adaptation, water management, sustainable agriculture and food security.
 |
| Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha (R) and Dutch Ambassador to Vietnam Kees van Baar (Photo: VNA) |
Receiving US Ambassador to Vietnam Marc E. Knapper on the same day, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha said Vietnam – US ties are growing stronger, particularly in climate change response, dealing with dioxin contamination, the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), and net-zero gas emissions.
On May 29, receiving Lao Minister of Technology and Communications Boviengkham Vongdara, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha expressed his wish that the two sides will actively promote cooperation and technology transfer so that Vietnam and Laos can jointly implement digital and green transformation as soon as possible. With its potential for renewables such as hydroelectricity, wind power and solar power, Laos can become a centre of clean energy, he stated, adding that this is one of the factors that determine the level of attraction for investors in the future.
Activities of the Foreign Minister
On June 1, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a conference to thoroughly improve the effectiveness of consular work and citizen protection abroad. In a hybrid format, the Conference was chaired by Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son and attended by departments, units leaders in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and and all Vietnamese Representative Missions abroad.
 |
| The Ministry of Foreign Affairs held a conference to thoroughly improve the effectiveness of consular work and citizen protection abroad. In a hybrid format, the Conference was chaired by Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son. (Photo: WVR) |
Bilateral activities
On June 3, speaking at the opening ceremony of "Vietnam Festival at Yoyogi Park 2023" in Tokyo, Japan, Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang expressed her delight at the comprehensive development of the extensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Japan. Previously, on June 2, Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang attended and spoke at the Seminar "Investment Promotion and Local Promotion in Vietnam" within the framework of the Program to promote Vietnamese localities in Japan.
On June 2, in Hanoi, the Italian Embassy organized a celebration to mark the 77th anniversary of Italian National Day. Attending the ceremony there were Italian Ambassador to Vietnam Antonio Alessandro, Deputy Foreign Minister Do Hung Viet and President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations, Ambassador Nguyen Phương Nga. In his opening remarks, Italian Ambassador said there are many things to celebrate for Italy in Vietnam on this joyful occasion, such as the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations, the 10th anniversary of the Strategic Partnership.
Deputy Foreign Minister Do Hung Viet emphasized on the similarities between Vietnamese and Italians as well as the strong growth of the partnership during the past decades. The two countries have maintained their engagement at all levels, especially at the highest level. Vietnam is now Italy's top trading partner in Europe, and Vietnam is Italy's top trading partner in ASEAN.
On May 30, the 4th meeting of the Vietnam – Mozambique Inter-Governmental Committee on Economic, Culture and Scientific-Technological Cooperation, took place in Maputo capital city of Mozambique, under the co-chair of Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Quoc Tri and Mozambican Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Manuel José Gonçalves.
On May 30, in Hanoi, the Embassy of Israel in Vietnam held a ceremony to celebrate 75th anniversary of Israeli Independence Day (1948-2023) and the 30th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic ties between Israel and Vietnam (1993-2023). Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ha Kim Ngoc stressed that since Vietnam and Israel established their diplomatic ties on July 12, 1993, their multifaceted cooperation has been developing constantly, and the two countries have become leading important partners in Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
 |
| Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ha Kim Ngoc, Israeli Ambassador Yaron Mayer at the ceremony to celebrate 75th anniversary of Israeli Independence Day and the 30th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic ties between Israel and Vietnam. (Photo: WVR) |
Vietnam and Israel have concluded negotiations and are preparing to sign VIFTA - Vietnam's first free trade agreement with the Middle East on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of establishing diplomatic relations. This is an important milestone contributing to completing the legal framework, creating a breakthrough for economic, trade and investment cooperation between the two countries in the coming time.
On May 30, at the Headquarters of the Ministry, Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang received Swiss Ambassador Thomas Gass.
On May 29, speaking at the 105th anniversary of Azerbaijan's National Day, Deputy Foreign Minister Le Thi Thu Hang emphasized that economic-trade cooperation between Vietnam and Azerbaijan has shown positive signs of recovery.
On May 31, in New Delhi, the 3rd India-Vietnam Maritime Security Dialogue was held, co-chaired by Ambassador Trinh Duc Hai, Vice Chairman of National Boundary Commission, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam and Ms. Muanpuii Saiawi, Joint Secretary (Disarmament & International Security Affairs), Ministry of External Affairs of India. The delegations comprised senior officials from the respective Ministries and Services concerned with maritime affairs.
On the occasion of the official visit to Vietnam by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese from June 3-4 at the invitation of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Andrew Goledzinowski said that Australian Prime Minister’s visit reaffirmed Australia’s strong commitment with Southeast Asia, specifically Vietnam.
According to Vietnamese Ambassador to Australia Nguyen Tat Thanh, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's visit to Vietnam is one of the most important events among activities celebrating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations.
On June 1, Ambassador Vu Quang Minh and Vietnamese Association in Cottbus city, Brandenburg state, met with Mayor Tobias Schick, discussing cooperation between Vietnam and the city. The Ambassador said that he expects Cottbus will consider twinning with a Vietnamese city, thereby enhancing cooperation and people-to-people exchanges. In addition, the two sides can also promote cooperation in the field of higher education and vocational training, including nursing.
Multilateral activities
On June 2, in Hanoi, the 45th anniversary of the Vietnam-United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) partnership for sustainable development was held. The ceremony, co-organised by the Ministry of Planning and Investment and UNDP, marked an important milestone in the two sides’ cooperation.
 |
| At the ceremony commemorating 45 years of the Vietnam-UNDP partnership. |
Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Quoc Phuong said that since UNDP opened a representative office in Hanoi in May 1978, UNDP has always worked side by side with Vietnam. UNDP Representative in Vietnam Ramla Khalidi said that three factors contribute to the success of the UNDP-Vietnam partnership: trust, shared values and openness. She said that Vietnam and UNDP have worked together to promote sustainable growth. Over the years, the trust has expanded the two sides’ partnership into new areas including trade, climate affairs and public governance.
On June 1, the United Nations General Assembly (UN) elected Ambassador Dennis Francis, Head of the Permanent Mission of Trinidad and Tobago to UN, as President of the 78th UN General Assembly representing the Latin American Group. Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam in New York, sent congratulations to the new President of the 78th UN General Assembly and the people of Trinidad and Tobago, and wished the two countries, the two Missions will continue to have good cooperation relations.
On May 31, in New York, Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang chaired an Ambassadorial-level meeting of the 12 founding countries of the Group of Friends on the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to review their past activities and launch future tasks. Ambassadors shared the view that despite various challenges such as COVID-19 pandemic and emerging global issues, the UNCLOS Group of Friends, with its 115 member states, has maintained regular activities and diversified forms of exchanges since its establishment. On the occasion, they debated the group's future orientations as important events on maritime and ocean issues at the UN are to be held, such as the Meeting of States Parties to UNCLOS 1982 (SPLOS 33) and the adoption of the Agreement on the Conservation of Marine Biodiversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ).
On May 18 and 31, addressing a high-level meeting on the mid-term review of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, which was held in New York, Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang noted that Vietnam advocates shifting from passive response to proactive prevention. As one of the countries most affected by natural disasters and climate change, Vietnam always attaches importance to fulfilling global commitments to disaster risk reduction. Therefore, Vietnam prioritises the implementation of measures to raise public awareness and maximise domestic resources as well as international support to improve disaster response capacity and ensure progress toward the Sendai Framework goals, the Ambassador said.
Ambassador Vu Ho, Acting Head of SOM ASEAN Vietnam attended the 20th Annual ASEAN-Canada Dialogue taking place from May 29 to 30 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
On June 1, at the regular press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam, Deputy Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Duc Thang addressed to question on citizen protection issues, informed that another 80 Vietnamese citizens recently rescued from a casino in Pampanga province, near Manila capital of the Philippines, have been safely repatriated, raising the number of those returning home so far to 140.
Concerning information on developments related to the illegal operations of the Chinese vessel Xiang Yang Hong 10 in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone, the Deputy Spokesperson stated: “Vietnam’s law enforcement bodies at sea have always kept a close watch on developments, and they are resolute in safeguarding and exercising Vietnam’s legitimate rights and interests on its waters in conformity with international law, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and Vietnamese law."
