Philippines wants to step up overall cooperation with Vietnam

Hanoi (VNA) – President Rodrigo Roa Duterte asserted that the Philippines places importance to accelerating its cooperation across sectors with Vietnam when meeting Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong in Hanoi on September 29.

He said the active realization of the Strategic Partnership contents and the early building and then deployment of an action plan for 2017-2020 to tap cooperation potential by both countries will create a new impulse for the growth in the respective countries and the region at large.

President Duterte assured that Philippine people will forever be good brothers and sisters, and friends of Vietnamese people.

He spoke highly of Vietnam’s role and position in ASEAN and expressed his hope for the two countries to continue working together in actualizing the new ASEAN Community as well as at multilateral forums in the region and globe.

Turning to the East Sea issue, President Duterte showed his concerns about recent happenings in the sea.

He called for parties concerned to exercise self-restraint, without resorting to the threat or use of force, and solve disputes by peaceful measures in accordance with the universally recognised principles of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Party General Secretary Trong warmly welcomed President Duterte on his official visit to Vietnam and highly valued the results of his talks and meetings with Vietnamese leaders.

He suggested both countries actively realize reached agreements and fully utilize the existing cooperative mechanisms, with the focus on the exchange of high-level visits across the Party, State, National Assembly channels, and people-to-people exchanges.

He also referred to the tapping of cooperation potential in fields of maritime cooperation, rice trading, oil and gas industry, fisheries, mining and services and the promotion of collaboration in multilateral forums, especially in ASIAN and related mechanisms.

The Party leader affirmed that Vietnam stands ready to support and coordinate with the Philippines in accomplishing its ASEAN Chair in 2017, contributing to building a strong, united and developed ASEAN Community.

He reiterated Vietnam’s position of tackling disputes in the East Sea through peaceful means, including the full respect of legal and diplomatic processes in the absence of threats or use of forces and in compliance with international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS, comprehensively and efficiently implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea and early adopting a Code of Conduct in the East Sea.

He wished the President and Philippine people will success in the nation-building process and actively contribute to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region.-VNA