Hanoi (VNA) - The Standing Board of the Central Steering Committee for Foreign Affairs and International Integration convened its first meeting in Hanoi on October 26 under the chair of General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee and President To Lam.
In his opening address, General Secretary and President Lam, who is also head of the steering committee, said the meeting is a key mechanism to resolve difficulties and bottlenecks, and address complex, new and cross-sectoral issues, without taking over tasks that ministries, agencies and sectors are already handling effectively.
He said external affairs and global integration, a “key and regular” task set by the 14th National Party Congress, must involve the entire political system, national defence-security and development. Stability, internal strength and self-reliance must be reflected in every policy.
President of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man called for commitments and agreements to be clear, quantifiable, measurable and practically effective. Parliamentary diplomacy should pair cooperation with oversight of international agreements so high-level deals become concrete projects and results, he said.
Standing Member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat Tran Cam Tu said head-of-state diplomacy since the 14th National Party Congress has been ongoing with many innovations, serving national interests and raising Vietnam’s standing. With the world changing fast, he said diplomacy must be strategically proactive and boost strategic autonomy, with channels complementing each other and opening more development space. Results now need to be deepened into synergies and concrete benefits, and Vietnam should contribute more to global issues as a responsible member.
Permanent Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Tuc praised the three inter-sectoral working groups on politics, national defence-security; economy and science-technology; and culture-society, education-training. He told ministries, agencies and localities to be more drastic in monitoring and pushing tasks, especially the agendas through end-2026 and for 2027.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Hoai Trung presented draft summary reports and said the steering committee's activities and external affairs across the political system have scored important results, especially in completing foundational documents for the steering committee.
In his conclusion, the top leader said external affairs and global integration have produced positive results with better-quality advice, coordination and execution, helping preserve a peaceful, stable environment, expand cooperation and create development resources.
He asked the three working groups to keep improving the quality and sustainability of results. He urged agencies to focus on year-end tasks, sharpen strategic forecasting, make external activities more effective, turn commitments into projects, products and real markets that benefit citizens, coordinate the performance of tasks uniformly and track results. Preparations for APEC 2027 must stay on schedule, he said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs - the steering committee’s standing agency - must work closely with other agencies to improve compilation, forecasting and information sharing, flag risks to national interests early and provide timely responses. It should select priorities and convert memoranda of understanding, agreements and joint statements into concrete projects and products for national development and people’s interests, as well as for global and regional peace, stability, cooperation and development, he added./.
