The ceremony to pay tribute to late Prime Minister Phan Van Khai at the Vietnamese Embassy in Myanmar on March 20 (Photo: Vietnamese Embassy in Myanmar) Hanoi (VNA) – The Vietnamese embassies in many countries held ceremonies on March 20 to pay respect to former Politburo member and former Prime Minister Phan Van Khai, who passed away on March 17 at the age of 85.
At the event in Beijing, Vietnamese Ambassador to China Dang Minh Khoi emphasised the former PM’s significant contributions to the reform of Vietnam and his dedication as a faithful communist who strived for national independence, socialism and people’s happiness.
The diplomat said while serving as the PM of Vietnam from 1997 to 2006, Khai greatly contributed to the friendly neighbourliness and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and China. He made many official visits to China and met with leaders of the Communist Party of China and the State and Government of China.
During this period, aside from the fast progress in bilateral cooperation in economy-trade, culture-education and people-to-people ties, the two countries also attained a number of important outcomes in solving outstanding problems, especially land- and sea-related border issues.
They signed the land border treaty on December 30, 1999, and the agreement on the Tonkin Gulf demarcation and the agreement on fishery cooperation in the Tonkin Gulf on December 25, 2000, creating a solid legal foundation for border and territory management and helping to build a Vietnam-China border of peace, friendship and long-term stability, Khoi added.
Also on March 20 morning, a similar ceremony was held at the Vietnamese Embassy in Malaysia. After reviewing former PM Khai’s enormous contributions, Vietnamese Ambassador Le Quy Quynh, the embassy staff and many Vietnamese people in Malaysia paid homage to the deceased.
[Infographics: Former PM Phan Van Khai dies, aged 85]
Many foreign delegations in Malaysia also paid tribute to the late leader, including the ambassadors of Cambodia, Namibia, Gambia, Venezuela, Timor Leste, and Turkey.
In her speech at the ceremony at the Vietnamese Embassy in Myanmar, Vietnamese Ambassador Luan Thuy Duong highlighted that then PM Khai was resolved to gear regulations towards bringing into play the capability of all economic sectors, especially the private sector, while promoting the country’s integration into the world.
She stressed that the death of the former Government leader is a great loss to the Communist Party of Vietnam and the State and people of Vietnam.
Representatives of the Lao, Indonesian, US and Czech embassies and Vietnamese businesses and people in Myanmar also came to the ceremony to pay tribute to former PM Khai.
Respect paying ceremonies were also opened by the Vietnamese embassies in Thailand and Indonesia in the morning of March 20.
The events will last through March 21, the same time with the two-day State funeral for the deceased in Vietnam.-VNA
VNA
