Review on external affairs: General Secretary’s talks with President of RoK; Indian Defense Minister’s visit to Vietnam

WVR - Review on a number of news headlines on external affairs from June 6-June 11 by The World and Vietnam Report.

Review on external affairs: General Secretary’s talks with President of RoK;  Indian Defense Minister’s visit to Vietnam
Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong held online talks with President of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Yoon Suk Yeol on June 8. (Photo: Trí Dũng/VNA)

Leaders’ activities

On the morning of June 8, at the headquarters of the Party Central Committee, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong held online talks with Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol.

The two leaders appreciated the importance of the high-level talks, especially on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

They also agreed that the talks had achieved important results, opening a new stage of development in relations between the two countries.

On the afternoon of June 6, at the headquarters of the Party Central Committee, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong held online talks with President of the Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO), President of Mozambique Filipe Jacinto Nyusi.

On June 11, on the occasion of the National Day of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK), President Nguyen Xuan Phuc sent a congratulatory message to Queen Elizabeth II. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh also sent congratulatory messages to Prime Minister Boris Johnson. National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue congratulated Speaker of the House of Lords John McFall and Speaker of the House of Commons Lindsay Hoyle.

On June 9, on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Kingdom of Oman (June 9, 1992-2022), President Nguyen Xuan Phuc sent a congratulatory message to the Sultan of the Kingdom of Oman Haitham bin Tariq Al Said.

On the afternoon of June 8, at the Presidential Palace, President Nguyen Xuan Phuc received Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh for an official visit to Vietnam. The President said that Vietnam supports the Act East policy of the Government of India, as well as India’s strengthening strategic partnership with ASEAN and relations with regional countries.

On the afternoon of June 8, receiving Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said that Vietnam has always attached great importance to and wants to foster the traditional friendship and strategic partnership with India.

On June 9, on the occasion of Mr. Adama Bictogo being elected President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Ivory Coast, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue sent a congratulatory message.

On June 11, the 19th Shangri-La Dialogue kicked off its first official meeting day in Singapore, with focus on the topic of security and stability in the region. Addressing a plenary session of the 19th Shangri-La Dialogue, General Phan Van Giang, Politburo member, Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission, Minister of National Defense affirmed Vietnam's viewpoint of building and strengthening the national defense capacity to safeguard the Fatherland and protect peace.

Activities of the Foreign Affairs Minister

On June 11, on the occasion of the National Day of the United Kingdom, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son congratulated Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs Elizabeth Truss.

On the afternoon of June 10, at the headquarters of the Ministry, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son received Swedish Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Robert Rydberg who paid a courtesy call within the framework of his working visit to Vietnam from June 9 to 11.

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son affirmed that Vietnam attaches importance to ​​and wishes to continue developing the traditional friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Sweden.

On the afternoon of June 10, at the headquarters of the Ministry, Minister Bui Thanh Son received new Canadian Ambassador to Vietnam Shawn Perry Steil to pay a courtesy call.

The Foreign Minister said he hopes Ambassador Steil continues contributing to the development of the Vietnam-Canada Comprehensive Partnership, especially in the context that the two countries are looking towards the 5th anniversary of the comprehensive partnership (2017-2022) and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties (1973-2023).

On the same day, June 10, at the headquarters of the Foreign Ministry, authorized by President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son presented the Friendship Medal to Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Robyn Mudie.

On the afternoon of June 7, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son received Italian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Manlio Di Stefano to pay a courtesy call during his working visit to Vietnam from June 7 to 9.

Bilateral activities

On the occasion of Russia's National Day, June 12, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Vietnam Gennady Bezdetko sent an article to the World & Vietnam Report sharing Moscow's views on foreign policy as well as the increasingly dynamic cooperation between the two countries.

On the occasion of the 124th anniversary of the Proclamation of Philippine Independence (June 12, 1898-2022), the Philippine Ambassador to Vietnam Meynardo LB. Montealegre has his article sent to the World &Vietnam Report, highlighting the progress of bilateral relations.

On June 10, in Hanoi, Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc and Secretary of State of the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Robert Rydberg co-chaired the political consultation between the two Foreign Ministries of Vietnam and Sweden. The two sides jointly reviewed cooperation in various fields and agreed on measures to strengthen bilateral relations in the post-COVID-19 pandemic.

On June 10, Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations on behalf of the Government of Vietnam, and Ambassador Zéphyrin Maniratanga, Permanent Representative of Burundi to the United Nations on behalf of the Government of Burundi, signed an agreement on visa exemption for citizens of the two countries holding diplomatic passports and official passports.

On June 9, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan in Tashkent, Vietnamese Ambassador to Uzbekistan Dang Minh Khoi presented his letter of credentials to Mr. Vladimir I. Norov, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan. During his time in Tashkent, Vietnamese Ambassador to Russia and Uzbekistan Dang Minh Khoi has also held working sessions with relevant agencies of Uzbekistan to strengthen multifaceted cooperation between the two countries.

On June 8, at the headquarters of the Foreign Ministry, Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc and Italian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Manlio Di Stefano co-chaired the 4th political consultation within the framework of the two countries’ strategic partnership.

On the afternoon of June 8, at the headquarters of the Ministry, Assistant Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Hang received US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce Pamela Phan to pay a courtesy call on the occasion of her visit to Vietnam from June 7-10.

Multilateral activities

On June 8 and 10, the UN General Assembly held a meeting on a draft resolution of the UN Security Council on tougher sanctions on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), which was vetoed on May 26.

Speaking at a meeting, Ambassador Dang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, has affirmed Vietnam’s consistent support for every effort on nuclear non-proliferation, disarmament and denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula through peaceful measures in line with international law, including the UN Charter.

On June 10, Ambassador Nguyen Hai Bang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to ASEAN, attended the 2nd meeting of the ASEAN-Italy Development Partnership Committee (AI-DPC) at the headquarters of the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia.

On June 9, Ambassador Nguyen Hai Bang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to ASEAN, attended the 48th meeting of the Board of Trustees of the ASEAN Foundation (AF BOT 48) at the headquarters of the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia. This is the first meeting in 2022 of AF BOT.

On the evening of June 10, the 28th annual ASEAN-China Senior Officials Consultation (SOM) Meeting (ACSOC) took place online. Regarding regional and international issues of shared concern, the countries emphasised the significance of peace, security and stability in the region, considering this a prerequisite for recovery and development efforts. Ambassador Vu Ho, Acting Head of SOM ASEAN Vietnam attended the Meeting.

On June 9, the Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), chaired by Cambodia, the ASEAN Chair in 2022, took place via video teleconference. Ambassador Vu Ho, Acting Head of SOM ASEAN Vietnam led the Vietnamese delegation to attend the meeting.

On June 8, the ASEAN+3 Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) 2022, among ASEAN members and their three partners China, Japan and Korea, hosted by Cambodia, took place via video teleconference. They agreed to together recover and foster trade and economic partnership, sustain supply chains, deepen financial cooperation, promote trade liberalization and regional economic integration links.

On June 7th, the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) and the Executive Board Meeting of the Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapons Free Treaty (SEANWFZ Excom) took place via video teleconference. The conferences were held online, under the chair of Cambodia, the ASEAN Chair in 2022. Ambassador Vu Ho, Acting Head of SOM ASEAN Vietnam led the Vietnamese delegation to attend the Conferences.

On June 7, the United Nations General Assembly unanimously elected Vietnam as one of the Vice Presidents of the 77th UN General Assembly, representing the Asia-Pacific region. In an interview with the World & Vietnam Report, Mr. Do Hung Viet, Assistant Minister, Director General of the Department of International Organizations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, highlighted the significance and priorities of Vietnam in taking up this important position for one year from September 13. 2022.

Speaking at the regular meeting of the Board of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) from June 6-10, Ambassador Nguyen Trung Kien, Permanent Representative of Vietnam at the IAEA, highlighted Vietnam’s major policies and efforts to ensure nuclear security and safety and its atomic energy application for peaceful purposes and sustainable development, contributing to realising the country’s international commitments.

Foreign Ministry Spokesperson

On June 9, at the regular press conference of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responding to reporters' questions about General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong's statement on the Korean Peninsula in the phone talks with Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang said:

“Vietnam's consistent stance is to support peace, stability, cooperation and development on the Korean Peninsula, support the related parties to show goodwill, promote dialogue, and make joint efforts for the goal of denuclearization and building a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.

With that spirit in mind, as a country having a traditional friendly relationship with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and a strategic partnership with the Republic of Korea (RoK), within its capability, Vietnam has been and will continue to make active contributions to promoting dialogue, cooperation and reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula, for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world”.

Spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang also stated Vietnam’s position on the project to renovate Ream naval base in Sihanoukville, Cambodia.

Other activities

On June 9 in Warsaw, Poland, ASEAN Ambassadors and the Polish Friendship Parliamentarians Group had a meeting, which was chaired by Mr. Napieralski Grzegorz, Chairman of the Poland-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Group. Former Polish Ambassador to Vietnam, Director of the Asia-Pacific Department of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Ms. Barbara Szymanowska, also attended the meeting.

On June 7, on the occasion of the annual Wecyc (We cycle) Week 2022, hundreds of Hue residents joined the Embassy of Denmark, Thua Thien Hue Institute of Development Studies (HueIDS) and Ashui.com, in a campaign to promote cycling culture in municipalities of Vietnam.

On June 7, in Hanoi, the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) on June 7 bestowed its “For peace and friendship among nations” insignia upon outgoing Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Robyn Mudie for her contribution to promoting mutual understanding, friendship, and cooperation between the two nations.

At the invitation of General Phan Van Giang, Minister of National Defense, Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh paid an official visit to Vietnam from June 7-10.

TIN LIÊN QUAN
Review on external affairs from May 30-June 5: Vietnam-Laos to boost defense cooperation; Suggestion of Austria's early ratification of EVIPA
Review on external affairs from May 23-29: Initial IPEF discussion; FA Minister’s conversation with Vice President of EC
Review on external affairs from May16-22: NA Chairman's visit to Laos, Greek President's visit to Vietnam, deepening ties with Singapore
Review on external affairs: ASEAN-US Special Summit, FM Bui Thanh Son meets US Secretary of State
Review on external affairs from May 2-8: Viet Nam to attend ESCAP's session, to develop Viet Nam-Laos land border gate system
(WVR)