Vietnam – key partner in RoK’s New Look South policy: official

Hanoi (VNA) – The Republic of Korea (RoK) is implementing the New Look South policy, in which Vietnam is a key partner, and it wants to further intensify relations with the Southeast Asian nation, said RoK Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha.

She made the remark during talks with Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh in Hanoi on March 9.

Minh congratulated the RoK on the successful PyeongChang 2018 Olympics, which contributed to promoting dialogue in the Korean Peninsula. 

At the talks, the two sides reviewed the outstanding achievements in bilateral ties recently, especially since the establishment of a strategic cooperative partnership in 2009. They also discussed measures to enhance the countries’ strategic cooperative partnership as well as regional and international issues of shared concern.

They noted with satisfaction the progress in Vietnam-RoK relations, agreeing to increase high-level exchanges and meetings so as to boost mutual understanding and political trust and create a favourable environment for strengthening ties in all fields.

The officials also agreed to tighten links between the two foreign ministries in order to promote their countries’ cooperation. While economics, trade and investment will be developed in a stable, balanced and sustainable manner, mutual understanding between Vietnamese and Korean people and tourism cooperation will also be consolidated.

Deputy PM Minh affirmed that on the basis of the consistent foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralisation and diversification of relations, and intensive integration into the world, Vietnam always attaches importance to developing relations with the RoK. 

It wants to work with the RoK to share experience, bolster development cooperation, trade liberalisation and regional connectivity, and keep peace, security and stability in the region and the world, he noted.

He applauded the RoK’s engagement investing in big infrastructure projects, equitising State-owned enterprises, and restructuring commercial banks in Vietnam. He asked the country to accelerate the assessment of some agricultural and aquatic products of Vietnam like star apple, rambutan, longan, lychee, and some pork and chicken products in 2018.

Minh also called on the RoK to boost technology transfer, help Vietnamese firms to take part in production chains of the RoK businesses which are investing in Vietnam, and support the establishment and operation of a Vietnam-RoK technology transfer centre. He proposed the two sides soon re-sign the standard memorandum of understanding on sending and receiving Vietnamese labourers in the RoK.

Additionally, the countries should promote the organisation of the third round of negotiations on a judicial assistance agreement in civil and trade matters to create a legal basis for resolving issues relating to their citizens, the Deputy PM said, asking the RoK to provide optimal conditions for the granting of tourist visas to Vietnamese citizens and the opening of direct air routes between the two countries so as to foster tourism ties.

Regarding international and regional issues, both sides agreed to continue the close coordination and effective cooperation at multilateral mechanisms such as the United Nations, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), and the Mekong-RoK.

They hailed efforts to promote dialogue and peacefully solve the nuclear issue of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. They also supported the maintenance of peace, security and stability and the settlement of disputes by peaceful means in the East Sea in line with international law.

Minister Kang Kyung-wha highly valued Vietnam’s socio-economic and international integration accomplishments over the past years, particularly the successful APEC Year 2017.

The RoK’s Foreign Ministry will keep working closely with Vietnam to promote the implementation of high-level agreements in a substantive and effective fashion, thus helping to bring the Vietnam-RoK strategic cooperative partnership to a new height, she added.-VNA