Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga, President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (Photo: VNA) Nga, who is President of the Vietnam Union ofFriendship Organisations (VUFO), told the Vietnam News Agency that over the lastfive years, people-to-people diplomatic activities, together with the Party andState’s diplomacy, have consistently complied with the diplomatic guidelinesissued at the 12th National Party Congress, which are independence,self-reliance, peace, cooperation, and development; diversification andmultilateralisation of foreign relations; proactive and active integration intothe world; being a friend and trustworthy partner and a responsible member ofthe international community; and ensuring the nation and people’s supremeinterests on the basis of the fundamental principles of international law,equality, and mutual benefit.
As the leading organisation in people-to-peoplediplomacy, VUFO and its members have exerted efforts to fulfil its assignedpolitical tasks, greatly helping to carry out the resolution from the 12thNational Party Congress and contribute to common diplomatic achievements, shenoted.
The draft documents submitted to the congress,aside from important content inherited from the documents of the 12th congress,have also been supplemented by significant new content that demonstrates thedevelopment of a new and creative diplomatic mindset that adapts to new and complexchanges in the global and regional situation and the reality of domesticdevelopment.
“Ensuring the country and people’s interests onthe basis of the fundamental principles of international law, equality, andmutually beneficial cooperation”, as stated in the draft documents, is highlyimportant and principled. Meanwhile, the drafts’ determination of a “vanguard”role for diplomacy in creating and firmly maintaining a peaceful and stableenvironment is new and precisely exhibits the crucial role and position ofexternal activities, she went on.
VUFO and agencies actively and responsiblycontributed ideas to the draft documents, the official said, stressing thatimportant content on the Party’s diplomacy and people-to-people diplomacy hasbeen added to the drafts, which emphasises the task of “building moderndiplomacy with the three pillars of the Party’s diplomacy, the State’sdiplomacy, and people-to-people diplomacy”, thus ensuring the comprehensivenessof Vietnam’s diplomacy and reflecting the role and tasks of the forces involvedin this work.
Discussing the difficulties and challenges in people-to-peoplediplomacy, Nga pointed out that the COVID-19 pandemic is still developing, thescope of relations and the network of partners in some regions remain limited,the approaches to some new issues haven’t been reformed strongly, and the roleof experienced specialists in diplomacy has yet to be fully capitalised on.
With regard to advantages, people-to-peoplediplomatic activities now have many conditions to be promoted in acomprehensive manner, she said, elaborating that the Party and State have paidgreat attention to people-to-people diplomacy and consider it a task of the entirepolitical system and the people as a whole. The Political Bureau and theSecretariat of the Party Central Committee have issued practical directions tohelp VUFO bring into play the role of people-to-people diplomacy.
Vietnam’s achievements in the COVID-19 fight, thecountry’s socio-economic development successes, and its improved prestige andstature also form a solid foundation for people-to-people diplomacy.
Another advantage is that in recent years, theforces engaged in people-to-people diplomacy have been increasingly promoted interms of both quantity and quality, including leaders of the Party, State, Government,National Assembly, ministries, and central agencies, as well as entrepreneurs,artists, and ordinary citizens.
As a result, she said, people’s awareness about diplomacy,with the motto “each person is an ambassador of the country”, has been increasedconsiderably./.
VNA
