Review on external affairs from Sept.25-Oct.1: Cultivation of Vietnam-Cuba special relations; Positive development momentum in Vietnam-China relations
WVR - Review on a number of news headlines on external affairs from Sept.25-Oct.1 by The World and Vietnam Report.
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| General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong receives President of the Cuban National Assembly of People's Power Esteban Lazo Hernandez. (Source: VNA) |
Leaders’ activities
On the occasion of the 74th anniversary of China's National Day (October 1, 1949-2023), General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV)'s Central Committee Nguyen Phu Trong and President Vo Van Thuong have sent letters of greetings to General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC)'s Central Committee and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh sent his greetings to Chinese Premier Li Qiang, while National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue also sent congratulations to Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) of China Zhao Leji. The Vietnamese Party and State leaders affirmed that the Party, State and people of Vietnam always consider China an important strategic partner and a top priority in Vietnam's external policy.
On September 27, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong hosted a reception for a Cuban high-ranking delegation led by Politburo member of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the National Assembly of People's Power of Cuba Esteban Lazo Hernandez, who was in Vietnam to attend the grand ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of Cuban leader Fidel Castro’s trip to the Liberation Zone of Quang Tri, South of Vietnam (September, 1973- 2023). Vietnam always values, preserves and stays determined to deepen the special traditional solidarity and comprehensive cooperation with Cuba, he said, adding that Vietnam is consistent with its stance on solidarity and support for Cuba, opposing to and calling for an end to the policy of blockade and embargo against the Caribbean country.
On September 27, President Vo Van Thuong sent a message of sympathy to Iraqi President Abdul Latif Jamal Rashid over a devastating fire in the town of Al-Hamdaniyah, Nineveh province in northern Iraq that caused significant human and property losses. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh also sent a similar message to his Iraqi counterpart Mohammed Shia al-Sudani. The same day, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son extended sympathy to his Iraqi counterpart Fuad Mohammed Hussein.
On September 26, in Hanoi, President Vo Van Thuong hosted separate receptions for Ambassadors of Bulgaria, the European Union (EU) Delegation, France and Kazakhstan who came to present their credentials. At the meeting with Bulgarian Ambassador Pavlin Todorov, the Vietnamese leader suggested the two countries maintain their regular exchanges of all-level delegations, localities and residents, thus creating a firm foundation for the bilateral cooperation. Meeting with EU Ambassador Julien Guerrier, President Thuong reiterated Vietnam’s target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050, and called on the EU to help Vietnam achieve it. At the reception for French Ambassador Olivier Brochet, President Thuong said the Vietnam-France relationship is developing fruitfully in all spheres. Receiving Ambassador of Kazakhstan Kanat Tumysh, the Vietnamese leader said Kazakhstan’s appointment of its Deputy Foreign Minister as the Ambassador to Vietnam reflects the importance the country attaches to the Southeast Asian nation.
On September 26, at the reception for Sen. Lieut. Gen. Thongloi Silivong, Deputy Minister of National Defence and Chairman of the Lao People’s Army (LPA)’s General Department of Politics, President Vo Van Thuong highlighted the importance of defence cooperation between Vietnam and Laos. The President emphasised that the outcomes of effective, practical cooperation between the two Ministries of National Defence and the General Departments of Politics under the LPA and the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) will also help promote the Vietnam-Laos cooperation in the coming time, especially in personnel training.
On September 25, President Vo Van Thuong sent a message of condolences to Italian President Sergio Mattarella over the passing of former President Giorgio Napolitano. On the same day, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son extended his condolences to Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Antonio Tajani.
At noon on September 27, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh arrived in Hanoi, concluding his trip to attend the high-level week of the 78th United Nations General Assembly and hold bilateral activities in the US, as well as his official visit to Brazil.
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| Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh delivered speech at the high-level week of the 78th United Nations General Assembly in New York. (Photo: WVR/Nguyen Hong) |
During his eight-day trips to the US and Brazil, Prime Minister Chinh had over 70 activities in five cities, namely San Francisco, Washington D.C and New York of the US, and São Paulo and Brasilia of Brazil. Attending the high-level week of the 78th UNGA, Prime Minister Chinh delivered speeches at the UNGA’s general debate and UN Summits on global and all-people issues such as climate change and pandemic response.
On this occasion, the Vietnamese Government leader had nearly 20 bilateral meetings with leaders of countries and international organisations and US politicians. He also visited the US’s universities, and worked with leaders of leading business associations, investment funds, and groups such as Microsoft, Synopsys, Facebook, Apple, Google and Boeing. While in Brazil, Prime Minister Chinh held talks with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, met with leaders of several political parties and Friendship Associations, delivered a policy speech at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and worked with leaders of some businesses. A Joint Communiqué on the official visit to Brazil by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh was adopted.
On September 27, Politburo member and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue received President of the National Assembly of People's Power of Cuba, Esteban Lazo Hernandez. Both NA leaders highly commended the continuous exchange of high-level delegations between the two countries, particularly between their National Assemblies. Following NA Chairman Hue's official visit to Cuba, many agreements between ministries, branches, and businesses of both nations are being actively implemented.
On the same day, the two leaders attended the ceremony to award the Cuban State Orders and medals to 7 incumbent leaders and former leaders of the Vietnamese National Assembly and its agencies, to recognize and honor their significant contributions to the relations between the two countries as well as their legislative bodies.
On September 28, President of the National Assembly of People's Power of Cuba Esteban Lazo Hernandez left Hanoi, concluding his successful visit to Vietnam. During his stay in Vietnam, Esteban Lazo Hernandez paid tribute to President Ho Chi Minh at his Mausoleum, paid a courtesy visit to Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, and met with President Vo Van Thuong and National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue. He also attended a grand ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the Cuban leader’s visit to Quang Tri province, together with Politburo member and Standing member of the Party Central Committee's Secretariat, and Chairwoman of the Committee's Organisation Commission Truong Thi Mai.
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| Grand ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the Cuban leader Fidel Castro’s visit to the Liberation Zone in Quang Tri. (Photo: VNA) |
On September 27, NA Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue successfully concluded his official visit to Bangladesh and Bulgaria. During the visit to the two countries, about 70 activities were held by the Chairman of the National Assembly, leaders of National Assembly Committees and representatives of ministries, branches and localities.
In Bangladesh, he held talks with his Bangladeshi counterpart Chaudhury; met with President Mohammed Shahabuddin; received Chairman of the Bangladesh Parliamentary Standing Committee on Foreign Relations Faruk Khan, President of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) Shah Alam, and President of the Workers Party of Bangladesh (WPB) Rashed Khan Menon. He also attended the inauguration of a photo exhibition on the 50th founding anniversary of the diplomatic ties between the two countries.
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| National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue and his Bulgarian counterpart Rosen Zhelyazkov sign a cooperation agreement between the two legislatures. (Photo: VNA) |
During his stay in Bulgaria, NA Chairman Hue held talks with his Bulgarian counterpart Zhelyazkov; had separate meetings with President Rumen Radev and Prime Minister Nikolai Denkov, and hosted receptions for Chairwoman of the Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP) Korneliya Ninova, and Chairwoman of the GERB-UDF parliamentary group Desislava Atanasova.
Activities of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
On September 28, Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son hosted a reception for Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister and Secretary General of the Steering Committee for China – Vietnam Bilateral Cooperation Nong Rong in Hanoi. The Foreign Minister urged the two sides to actively speed up and coordinate to prepare for high-level contact activities in the coming time, make specific progress in areas of cooperation including trade, investment, transport connection, railway construction cooperation and projects using Chinese aid as well as coordinate to handle obstacles in a number of collaborative projects.
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| Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son and Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister and Secretary General of the Steering Committee for China – Vietnam Bilateral Cooperation Nong Rong in Hanoi, on September 28, 2023. (Photo: WVR/Quang Hoa) |
On September 27, talking to the press, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son said Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and the high-ranking Vietnamese delegation’s attendance in the UNGA high-level week of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), and bilateral activities in the US and official visit to Brazil have obtained substantive and comprehensive results and fulfilled all the set tasks and targets, thus practically implementing the foreign policy set by the 13th National Party Congress.
Bilateral activities
On September 29, speaking at the ASEAN-Australia High-Level Dialogue on Climate Change and Energy Transition, Deputy Foreign Minister Do Hung Viet highly appreciated Australia's active development cooperation with ASEAN for many years, as well as Australian commitments to continuing to support ASEAN in responding to current emerging challenges.
On September 27, holding talks with Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of China, Secretary General of the Steering Committee for China-Vietnam Bilateral Cooperation Nong Rong, Standing Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu proposed the two sides continue fully carrying out the perceptions reached by high-level leaders of both nations; comply with international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), fully carry out the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea/South China Sea (DOC), respect legitimate rights and interests of each other, and avoid unilateral actions that complicate the situation and expand disputes.
On September 26, at the 50th anniversary of Leader Fidel Castro's visit to the Liberation Zone in Quang Tri, Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc introduced a special publication made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about Leader Fidel Castro to Politburo member Truong Thi Mai and President of the Cuban National Assembly of People’s Power Esteban Lazo Hernandez.
On September 25, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang and her Bulgarian counterpart Tihomir Stoytchev held a working session within the framework of National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue’s official visit to Bulgaria. They reached a consensus on the organisation of the political consultation in 2024. Commending the tight and effective collaboration between the two ministries so far, the Deputy Ministers agreed to step up cooperation between their units and consider the sending of diplomats to each other's country for study and exchanges. They affirmed to join hands with and support each other at regional and international forums, particularly the United Nations (UN), Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), and ASEAN-EU cooperation mechanism.
Multilateral activities
On September 28, on behalf of ASEAN, speaking at the debate on social development issues of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UN General Assembly) , Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN emphasized that ASEAN always places social development as a top priority and is committed to building a resilient, inclusive, people-centered community and effectively implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
On September 26, the UN General Assembly held a high-level meeting to commemorate the International Day for the complete abolition of nuclear weapons. On this occasion, Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang reaffirmed Vietnam's consistent policy on anti-proliferation and nuclear disarmament, aiming to completely abolish nuclear weapons, and committed to maintaining the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone and other weapons of mass destruction. At the same time, ASEAN welcomes countries possessing nuclear weapons to sign and ratify without reservations the Protocol to the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone Treaty (SEANWFZ).
Citizen protection
On September 27, according to the Vietnamese Embassy in France, French police discovered 6 women, including 4 believed to be Vietnamese citizens, in a refrigerated cargo truck in Rhone, Lyon city, France. The Vietnamese Embassy urgently contacted local authorities to verify the information and requested support for the Embassy in implementing citizen protection measures.
Other activities
On September 28-29, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), in coordination with the provincial People's Committee of Thua Thien - Hue to organize the Conference to implement Decree No. 58/2022/ND-CP dated August 31, 2022 on registration and management of foreign non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Vietnam. It was attended by over 200 representatives from ministries, central agencies, localities, and foreign NGOs in Vietnam.
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| Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc addresses the conference. (Photo: VNA) |
Addressing the event, Deputy Minister Ha Kim Ngoc, who is also Head of the Working Committee on Foreign Non-Governmental Organizations, said Foreign NGO affairs form an important part of Vietnam’s development and external relations. The Party and Government have paid attention to and carried out the foreign NGO-related works early to perfect legal regulations and policies in the field. The issuance of Decree No 58 was part of the efforts, he noted. Deputy Foreign Minister Ngoc affirmed that the Government has strongly ordered ministries, sectors, and localities to provide the best possible conditions for foreign non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to operate effectively and stably.
Tags:
Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong
President Vo Van Thuong
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh
Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son
President of the NA of the People’s Power Esteban Lazo Hernandez
50th anniversary of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro's first visit to Vietnam
Vietnam-US Comprehensive Strategic Partnership
Vietnam-Bulgaria relations
Vietnam-Bangladesh relations
78th session of the UN General Assembly
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