The year 2013 wrapped up with busy foreign relations activities,making important contributions to the national construction anddevelopment.
On the occasion of the New Year 2014,Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh granted aninterview to the press on Vietnam’s foreign relations work in 2013and its major plans for this year.
He said that in2013, the regional and global situations continued to undergocomplicated developments with profound impacts on the environment ofpeace, security and stability in our country, creating bothopportunities and challenges.
In this context, theParty and State’s foreign relation work was carried out in a positiveand proactive manner, achieving important outcomes that contributed tothe protection of independence, sovereignty and territorial integrityand the maintenance of a peaceful and stable environment while raisingVietnam 's position in the international arena, he said.
According to Minh, 2013 witnessed a number of visits by made byhigh-ranking leaders of the Party, State, Government and NationalAssembly to neighbouring countries, major countries and the nation’smost important and traditional partners.
Via thesevisits, Vietnam upgraded its relations to a strategic partnership withItaly, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and France; and acomprehensive partnership with the US and Denmark .
If including partnerships it had previously set up with Russia,China, India and Japan, Vietnam now has strategic partnershipwith 13 countries and comprehensive partnership with 11 others,including five permanent members of the UN Security Council.
The Deputy PM said last year also saw a wide range of activities inmultilateral diplomacy at regional and international forums. PresidentTruong Tan Sang attended the 21st APEC Summit and the high-levelTrans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) meeting in Bali, Indonesia (October 6-8,2013); PM Nguyen Tan Dung attended and delivered a keynote address atthe Shangri La Dialogue in Singapore (May 2013), the 2013 World EconomicForum on East Asia in Myanmar (June 2013), the 68th session of the UNGeneral Assembly (September 2013), the 23rd ASEAN Summit, the East AsiaSummit (October 9-10, 2013), and the ASEAN-Japan Commemorative Summit.
The highlight of multilateral diplomacy in 2013 was the widespreadinternational support Vietnam earned from important organisationsand multilateral forums. For the first time, the country was elected tothe UN Human Rights Council with the highest number of votes amongcandidates, he said.
It was also elected as the chairman of theBoard of Governors of the Vienna-based International Atomic EnergyAgency (IAEA) for the 2013-14 term, and elected to the UNESCO WorldHeritage Committee for the 2014-2017 tenure.
Vietnam willhost the 132nd Assembly of the International Parliamentary Union (IPU)in March 2015. For the second time, Vietnam was entrusted to hostthe APEC Summit in 2017. Currently, Vietnam is actively preparing toparticipate in the UN peacekeeping force, and is nominated to become anon-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the2020-2021 term and the United Nations Economic and Social Council(ECOSOC) for the 2016-2018 tenure.
The above results inmultilateral diplomacy affirmed Vietnam 's active and proactive roleas a responsible member of the international community, Minh affirmed.
He went on to say that together with its proactive and positiveinternational integration, Vietnam actively participated in negotiatingthe Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, the RegionalComprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP); negotiations on free tradeagreements (FTAs) with the EU, the Republic of Korea, and theRussia-Belarus-Kazakhstan Customs Union.
The country alsosuccessfully organised the ASEM high-level Meeting on DisasterPrevention and Relief and the economic co-operation forum betweenVietnam and the Middle East-North Africa (November, 2013), he added.
Themobilisation work of other countries to recognise the market economy inVietnam also achieved encouraging results. To date, 43 countrieshave recognised the market economy in Vietnam . In the framework ofthe Mekong Sub-regional cooperation, the nation contributed positivelyto promoting cooperation in the fields of infrastructure development,human resources, climate change response, and sustainable development.
The promotion of trade, investment and tourism was also enhanced tosupport sectors, localities and enterprises in seeking partners andexpanding markets.
The border work and protection ofsovereignty and territorial integrity received special care anddirection. The situation on borders with China , Laos and Cambodiais basically stable. Vietnam and Laos officially completed theincrease and upgrade of border markers along their 2,067km border,positioning 834 border markers in 792 locations in July 2013. The twocountries also signed an agreement on dealing with free migration andunregistered marriage in Vietnam-Laos border areas at the same time.
Vietnam and China held a conference to review the three-yearimplementation of three important documents on border policies, andaccelerated the progress of negotiations towards the signing of anagreement on the utilisation and protection of tourism resources at BanGioc Waterfall.
Regarding the East Sea issue, the Deputy PM saidthat Vietnam established a principle of perseverance and resolutestruggle against China’s violations on the sovereignty and legitimaterights of Vietnam at sea, enlisted the frequent concern and support ofthe regional and international communities, and ensured its economicactivities in the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf of 200nautical miles. At the same time, Vietnam continued negotiating withChina on issues relating to both countries in order to ease tension andgradually find basic and long-term solutions to the East Seadispute on the basis of international law.
The fightfor democracy, human rights and religious freedom was implemented in asynchronous, appropriate and constructive manner, thereby making furthercontributions to national security while lessening the negative impactsof issues related to democracy and human rights in the promotion ofrelations with other countries, he said.
The workrelated to cultural diplomacy, overseas Vietnamese affairs, consularservices, protection of citizens and foreign relations information wasdeployed strongly and achieved significant results, thus improving theimage of Vietnam in the world and contributing to strengthening thenational great unity bloc and protecting the legitimate rights ofVietnamese compatriots, he added.
With the aboveachievements, Vietnam’s foreign relation work has made significantcontributions to maintaining a peaceful and stable environment, firmlyprotecting independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and nationalinterests while taking advantage of favourable conditions ofinternational integration and foreign resources to serve the nationaldevelopment, Minh said.-VNA
On the occasion of the New Year 2014,Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh granted aninterview to the press on Vietnam’s foreign relations work in 2013and its major plans for this year.
He said that in2013, the regional and global situations continued to undergocomplicated developments with profound impacts on the environment ofpeace, security and stability in our country, creating bothopportunities and challenges.
In this context, theParty and State’s foreign relation work was carried out in a positiveand proactive manner, achieving important outcomes that contributed tothe protection of independence, sovereignty and territorial integrityand the maintenance of a peaceful and stable environment while raisingVietnam 's position in the international arena, he said.
According to Minh, 2013 witnessed a number of visits by made byhigh-ranking leaders of the Party, State, Government and NationalAssembly to neighbouring countries, major countries and the nation’smost important and traditional partners.
Via thesevisits, Vietnam upgraded its relations to a strategic partnership withItaly, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore and France; and acomprehensive partnership with the US and Denmark .
If including partnerships it had previously set up with Russia,China, India and Japan, Vietnam now has strategic partnershipwith 13 countries and comprehensive partnership with 11 others,including five permanent members of the UN Security Council.
The Deputy PM said last year also saw a wide range of activities inmultilateral diplomacy at regional and international forums. PresidentTruong Tan Sang attended the 21st APEC Summit and the high-levelTrans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) meeting in Bali, Indonesia (October 6-8,2013); PM Nguyen Tan Dung attended and delivered a keynote address atthe Shangri La Dialogue in Singapore (May 2013), the 2013 World EconomicForum on East Asia in Myanmar (June 2013), the 68th session of the UNGeneral Assembly (September 2013), the 23rd ASEAN Summit, the East AsiaSummit (October 9-10, 2013), and the ASEAN-Japan Commemorative Summit.
The highlight of multilateral diplomacy in 2013 was the widespreadinternational support Vietnam earned from important organisationsand multilateral forums. For the first time, the country was elected tothe UN Human Rights Council with the highest number of votes amongcandidates, he said.
It was also elected as the chairman of theBoard of Governors of the Vienna-based International Atomic EnergyAgency (IAEA) for the 2013-14 term, and elected to the UNESCO WorldHeritage Committee for the 2014-2017 tenure.
Vietnam willhost the 132nd Assembly of the International Parliamentary Union (IPU)in March 2015. For the second time, Vietnam was entrusted to hostthe APEC Summit in 2017. Currently, Vietnam is actively preparing toparticipate in the UN peacekeeping force, and is nominated to become anon-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the2020-2021 term and the United Nations Economic and Social Council(ECOSOC) for the 2016-2018 tenure.
The above results inmultilateral diplomacy affirmed Vietnam 's active and proactive roleas a responsible member of the international community, Minh affirmed.
He went on to say that together with its proactive and positiveinternational integration, Vietnam actively participated in negotiatingthe Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, the RegionalComprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP); negotiations on free tradeagreements (FTAs) with the EU, the Republic of Korea, and theRussia-Belarus-Kazakhstan Customs Union.
The country alsosuccessfully organised the ASEM high-level Meeting on DisasterPrevention and Relief and the economic co-operation forum betweenVietnam and the Middle East-North Africa (November, 2013), he added.
Themobilisation work of other countries to recognise the market economy inVietnam also achieved encouraging results. To date, 43 countrieshave recognised the market economy in Vietnam . In the framework ofthe Mekong Sub-regional cooperation, the nation contributed positivelyto promoting cooperation in the fields of infrastructure development,human resources, climate change response, and sustainable development.
The promotion of trade, investment and tourism was also enhanced tosupport sectors, localities and enterprises in seeking partners andexpanding markets.
The border work and protection ofsovereignty and territorial integrity received special care anddirection. The situation on borders with China , Laos and Cambodiais basically stable. Vietnam and Laos officially completed theincrease and upgrade of border markers along their 2,067km border,positioning 834 border markers in 792 locations in July 2013. The twocountries also signed an agreement on dealing with free migration andunregistered marriage in Vietnam-Laos border areas at the same time.
Vietnam and China held a conference to review the three-yearimplementation of three important documents on border policies, andaccelerated the progress of negotiations towards the signing of anagreement on the utilisation and protection of tourism resources at BanGioc Waterfall.
Regarding the East Sea issue, the Deputy PM saidthat Vietnam established a principle of perseverance and resolutestruggle against China’s violations on the sovereignty and legitimaterights of Vietnam at sea, enlisted the frequent concern and support ofthe regional and international communities, and ensured its economicactivities in the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf of 200nautical miles. At the same time, Vietnam continued negotiating withChina on issues relating to both countries in order to ease tension andgradually find basic and long-term solutions to the East Seadispute on the basis of international law.
The fightfor democracy, human rights and religious freedom was implemented in asynchronous, appropriate and constructive manner, thereby making furthercontributions to national security while lessening the negative impactsof issues related to democracy and human rights in the promotion ofrelations with other countries, he said.
The workrelated to cultural diplomacy, overseas Vietnamese affairs, consularservices, protection of citizens and foreign relations information wasdeployed strongly and achieved significant results, thus improving theimage of Vietnam in the world and contributing to strengthening thenational great unity bloc and protecting the legitimate rights ofVietnamese compatriots, he added.
With the aboveachievements, Vietnam’s foreign relation work has made significantcontributions to maintaining a peaceful and stable environment, firmlyprotecting independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and nationalinterests while taking advantage of favourable conditions ofinternational integration and foreign resources to serve the nationaldevelopment, Minh said.-VNA
