Alfredo Femat Bañuelos (left), Chairman of the Mexican Chamber of Deputies' Foreign Affairs Committee and Chairman of the Mexico - Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians' Group meets with Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and head of its Commission for Information and Education Nguyen Trong Nghia in August 2023. (Photo: VNA) Mexico City (VNA) – The similarities in foreign policies is the string that binds the relations between Vietnam and Latin American countries throughout history, according to politicians and media.
Speaking on the occasion of Vietnam's 32nd National Diplomatic Conference which opened in Hanoi on December 19, they affirmed that the similarities include steadfastness and consistency in applying external principles, but also showing openness, and adaptiveness to changes in the world situation.
Alfredo Femat Bañuelos, Chairman of the Mexican Chamber of Deputies' Foreign Affairs Committee and Chairman of the Mexico - Vietnam Friendship Parliamentarians' Group, said that since Mexico and Vietnam established diplomatic relations in 1975 when Vietnam just gained independence, the two countries have continuously maintained and tightened their relationship in all aspects, despite many changes in the world.
In particular, Mexico's establishment of diplomatic relations with Vietnam was an important step in affirming the sovereignty and self-determination of both Mexico and Vietnam, thereby helping to affirm and consolidate Vietnam's independence, while highlighting the role of Mexico and Latin American countries in the international arena.
According to the Mexican official, the strong connection between Mexico and Vietnam is a clear demonstration of the principles and values that the two countries have shared, including similarities in struggles for national liberation, foreign policies, and culture.
Regarding the achievements of Vietnamese diplomacy, Bañuelos affirmed that the correct foreign policy has contributed to highlighting Vietnam's position in the international arena with many contributions to the world.
Similarly, effective diplomatic activities have also promoted the positive image of Vietnam to international friends, he said.
Meanwhile, Pedro Gellert, a journalist of Regeneración newspaper, the official organ of the ruling party National Regeneration Movement (MORENA) in Mexico, one of the important contributions that Vietnam’s diplomatic sector has made over the past years is to help the world better understand Vietnam that consistently follows the path of socialism with outstanding socio-economic development achievements.
Having studied Vietnam for years, the journalist affirmed that similar to many Latin American countries, Vietnam's foreign policy is developed from domestic policy such as the principle of non-interference in each other's internal affairs, maintaining dialogue, peacefully resolving differences between countries and relations based on the principles of equality and mutual respect.
From Venezuela, journalist Ángel Miguel Bastidas González of Correo del Orinoco newspaper highlighted the significance of Vietnam's "bamboo diplomacy" policy. He emphasised that with this policy, Vietnam has been very successful in maintaining relations with major powers, while ensuring national interests.
According to the journalist who had worked in the Venezuelan diplomatic mission in Vietnam, the core guiding principles of Vietnam's "bamboo diplomacy" policy are national interests, independence, self-reliance, diversification, and multilateralisation of foreign relations. These principles originated from President Ho Chi Minh's diplomatic ideology and are the foundation for the country's foreign policy./.
