Vietnam andSingapore issued a joint statement on the establishment of a strategicpartnership in Hanoi on September 11 during Prime Minister LeeHsien Loong’s official visit.
The statement runs as follows:
At the invitation of H.E. Nguyen Tan Dung, Prime Minister of theSocialist Republic of Vietnam, H.E. Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister ofthe Republic of Singapore and Mrs Lee Hsien Loong paid an officialvisit to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam on 11 - 13 September 2013.The visit is a highlight of the 40 th anniversary of the establishmentof the diplomatic relations between Vietnam and Singapore .
During the visit, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong paid courtesy callson General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trongand President Truong Tan Sang; met Chairman of the National AssemblyNguyen Sinh Hung and held official talks with Prime Minister Nguyen TanDung, followed by a reception. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and PrimeMinister Nguyen Tan Dung also attended the ground breaking ceremony ofthe 5 th Vietnam - Singapore Industrial Park in QuangNgai Province .
On this occasion, both sides reaffirmedthe strong relations of friendship, comprehensive cooperation andmutual trust between Vietnam and Singapore and agreed to buildupon existing bilateral agreements, including the Joint Declarationon Comprehensive Cooperation Framework in the 21 st Century (2004) andthe Framework Agreement on Connectivity (2005) to further enhancebilateral cooperation . They also shared the common view that thefurther consolidation of long-term, stable and comprehensive relationsbetween Vietnam and Singapore will not only serve the well-beingof both countries, but also contribute to the promotion of peace,stability, prosperity and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific as well as therealization of the ASEAN Community by 2015 .
From thatrecognition and based on the Joint Press Communiqué in the officialvisit to the Republic of Singapore by General Secretary of the CommunistParty of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong (9/2012) on elevating bilateralrelations to a strategic partnership, both sides agreed to establisha Strategic Partnership on the basis of mutual respect, trust andbenefit. The Strategic Partnership shall conform to the UN and ASEANCharters, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia , andother universally recognized principles of international law.
In accordance with this Strategic Partnership, both sides have reachedthe understanding to enhance cooperation between the two countries inthe following areas:
On Deepening Political Relations of Mutual Trust
1. Promote regular high-level exchanges in order to give impetusto the strategic cooperation between the two countries; establish directcommunications between the Leaders of the two countries; welcome andfacilitate parliamentary cooperation and increased exchanges betweentheir government agencies, aimed at strengthening the politicalrelationship and deepening mutual understanding and cooperation.
2. Facilitate dialogue and strengthen coordination between the twocountries on bilateral, regional and international issues of mutualconcern, through annual consultations between the two ForeignMinistries.
On Strengthening Economic Cooperation
3. Expand economic, trade and investment cooperation by creatingfavourable investment climates and strengthening business linkages andpartnerships; continue to build on the Connectivity Framework Agreementto deepen bilateral economic engagement in all sectors of economiccooperation; encourage and support information-sharing, exchanges andlinkages between the business communities of the two countries.
4. Continue to support joint business projects such as theVietnam-Singapore Industrial Parks (VSIP) which is a model of themutually beneficial cooperation between Vietnam and Singapore based onpublic-private sector partnerships; continue, on the basis of such amodel, to step up cooperation in key sectors such as transportation,information and communications technology, finance, banking, industry,urban management and development, investment projects, logistics,education and training, trade and services, and creative industries;consider to enhance bilateral cooperation in other promising areas,including cruise tourism, commodities trading, healthcare, agricultureand aquaculture.
5. Continue to encourage the flow ofbilateral investments and trade. Singapore welcomes Vietnam ’sintention to increase its exports in the Singapore market,including agriculture, aquaculture and food produce. Singapore wouldexplore with Vietnam ways to develop technical expertise in areassuch as establishing environmental frameworks for dredging worksnecessary for port or waterway development, laboratory training for foodsafety, exchange programmes on animal disease diagnostics and trainingprogrammes on urban development and management.
6.Reaffirm their desire to strengthen bilateral financial cooperation,including sharing of experience in customs (single window custom,e-customs procedure process) and tax (tax administration and taxpolicies) matters, and further support economic linkages between bothcountries; encourage increased access to each other’s financial sectors,which will promote more cross-border exchanges of expertise andinvestments; actively implement the Memorandum of Understanding onFinancial Cooperation (2012); recognise the importance of workingtogether to promote regional financial stability through fora such asASEAN, ASEAN Plus Three, and others.
7. Welcome theprogress achieved thus far under the ASEAN Roadmap for Integration ofAir Travel Sector and the ASEAN Multilateral Agreement on the FullLiberalisation of Passenger Air Services. Recognising the benefitsaccruing to both countries from strengthened air links, both sides agreeto build on these agreements and enhance further cooperation in thisfield, including air services liberalization on a bilaterally agreedbasis, t o support the expansion of economic, trade, investment andtourism cooperation as well as people-to-people links.
8.Boost tourism cooperation between the two countries and with othercountries in the region; further strengthen cooperation on tourismpromotion and exchange of tourism information through theSingapore-Vietnam Tourism Cooperation (SVTC) platform.
On Enhancing Security and Defence Cooperation
9. Continue to build on the Defence Cooperation Agreement (2009)and further strengthen bilateral defence ties, mutual understanding andtrust by increasing cooperation in areas such as military and trainingexchanges in both countries, multilateral cooperation within ASEANDefence Ministers’ Meeting (ADMM) and ADMM-Plus, as well as throughfurther exchange of views on security issues of common interest.
10. Enhance security cooperation, including capacity-building andexchange of information and intelligence; promote regular exchange ofvisits at the Deputy Ministerial level between Vietnam’s Ministry ofPublic Security and Singapore’s Ministry of Home Affairs; review and setdirection for cooperation as outlined in the CooperationArrangement to Prevent and Combat Transnational Crimes (signed in 2006and extended in 2012), or under the framework of the ASEAN Plan ofAction to Combat Transnational Crime, or the Regional CooperationAgreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia(ReCAAP); and i ncrease the exchange of information and coordinationof activities in order to combat transnational crimes and piracy.
11. Condemn terrorism in all its forms and manifestations andstrengthen cooperation to counter international terrorism.
On Promoting Other Areas of Bilateral Cooperation
12. Express satisfaction and appreciation for the role played bythe Singapore Cooperation Programme, the Vietnam-Singapore TrainingCentre and Vietnam-Singapore Centre for Educational Excellence; enhancecooperation in human resource development under the SingaporeCooperation Programme, the Vietnam - Singapore Training Centre, theVietnam - Singapore Centre for Educational Excellence and the Initiativefor ASEAN Integration (IAI) in areas jointly identified by both sidesthat support Vietnam’s continued development and promote ASE ANintegration.
13. Continue to build on the Memorandumof Understanding on Educational Cooperation (2007) and work through thebilateral Joint Working Group on Education to deepen professionallinkages, facilitate exchanges of visits and encourage institutionallinkages.
14. Work together to further good governance,the rule of law, and continue to cooperate in legal and judicial areasfor the better understanding of each other’s laws, legal systems andinstitutions. In this regard, both sides will exchange visits andpromote information exchanges between their respective legal andjudicial agencies, tertiary-level institutions and dispute resolutioncentres as provided under the Singapore - Vietnam Memorandum ofUnderstanding on Legal and Judicial Cooperation (2008). Both sides arecommitted to maintaining the access enjoyed by each country to theother’s legal services industry and exploring ways of enhancing suchaccess, and endeavour to explore means to enhance mutual cooperation andassistance in civil matters.
15. Agree to enhance existingcooperation in the field of public health, including informationexchange, research, health care-related education and trainingattachments at our academic institutions, through mutually beneficialarrangements.
16. Endeavour to foster cooperation inculture, arts and sports, as well as encourage more youth exchanges inorder to strengthen people-to-people links and deepen understandingbetween the two societies.
On Strengthening Cooperation in International and Regional Fora
17. Endeavour to enhance their bilateral partnership and cooperatewith other countries in order to contribute to the promotion of peace,stability, prosperity and cooperation in the region, as well as to meetnew regional and international challenges.
18. Reaffirmthe respect for fundamental principles of the UN Charter andinternational law, including the principles of respect for independence,sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as non-interference ininternal affairs of States.
19. Acknowledge the vitalimportance of the role of the UN in maintaining world peace, stabilityand development; cooperate to strengthen the UN’s role in promotinginternational security, as well as efforts to reform the UN system.
20. Recognise the importance of free trade and open markets inensuring continued global economic growth and development; continue towork together to promote free trade, promote deeper regional integrationthrough regional fora such as Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC),and strengthen the multilateral trading system by working to ensurethat the World Trade Organisation (WTO) remains relevant to current andfuture realities; support the successful conclusion of the Trans PacificPartnership (TPP) agreement, ensuring its benefits to all thedevelopmentally diverse members.
21. Continue tocooperate on initiatives aimed at consolidating ASEAN as the centraldriving force in the evolving regional architecture; recognise themaintenance of peace and stability in the region depends on ASEAN’scontinued centrality, which in turn hinges on ASEAN’s autonomy,credibility and cohesion, and the consolidation of ASEAN’s relationshipswith key Dialogue Partners; enhance ASEAN coordination within regionaland international fora such as APEC, Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) and theUN.
22. Work together to achieve an integrated ASEANCommunity and implement ASEAN’s goals for 2015 and beyond to ensure thelong-term growth and prosperity of the region; commit to theimplementation of initiatives such as the Master Plan on ASEANConnectivity which aims to enhance connectivity among Member States, andthe Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, which would enhanceeconomic linkages between ASEAN and its Free Trade Agreement Partners.
23. Work more closely to narrow the development gapwithin ASEAN under the IAI as well as other regional and sub-regionalcooperation projects in which both countries are involved or have commoninterests.
24. Work with other ASEAN member countriesto ensure peace, stability, freedom of navigation, maritime security andsafety in the region, including in the South China Sea; resolvedisputes through peaceful means in accordance with international law,including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea(UNCLOS); refrain from the use of force or threat to use force; fullyimplement the Declaration of the Conduct of Parties on the South ChinaSea (DOC) and the Joint Statement of 15 th ASEAN-China Summit on the10th Anniversary of the DOC; and reach an early conclusion of a Code ofConduct on the South China Sea (COC).
25. Work closely topromote regional dialogue and cooperation on maritime issues, includingwithin the framework of the ASEAN Maritime Forum, the Expanded ASEANMaritime Forum and other existing ASEAN mechanisms.
26.Endeavour to enhance ASEAN’s role in the global community by achievingthe goals set out in the Bali Declaration on an ASEAN Community in aGlobal Community of Nations (Bali Concord III) adopted by ASEAN leadersin November 2011.
27. In order to realise the StrategicPartnership, both sides agreed to task the two Ministries of ForeignAffairs to be the focal points, in collaboration with relevantMinistries, to provide ways and means to ensure the concrete andeffective implementation of and, through existing bilateral cooperationmechanisms, to periodically review the Strategic Partnership.-VNA
