PM active in ASEAN Summit in Thailand
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung is joining leaders from other ASEAN countries at the 15th ASEAN Summit which opened in Cha-am and Hua Hin, Thailand, on Oct. 23.
Aside from the main summit, he will attend concurrently held summits for ASEAN Plus One, ASEAN Plus Three and the East Asia Summit, which will also see the participation of leaders from China , Japan , the Republic of Korea , India , Australia and New Zealand .
The 15th ASEAN Summit is the second event to take place after the ASEAN Charter took effect in order to make the organisation’s operations more effective, contributing to enhancing the alliance between the community’s members and cooperation with non-bloc partners.
Speaking at the opening of the gathering, Thai PM Abhisit Veijjajiva said the ASEAN bloc, with its solidarity, has succeeded in weathering global and regional challenges such as the financial crisis, climate change, food security, natural disasters and epidemics.
He showed his confidence that the bloc would continue developing prosperously toward becoming a comprehensive community by 2015.
Also on Oct. 23, PM Dung and his ASEAN counterparts held an unofficial dialogue with representatives from the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) as part of the summit.
At the event, ASEAN leaders underscored the importance of bilateral dialogue and called upon the AIPA to contribute to making policies, implementing the ASEAN Charter and building the ASEAN Community by 2015 based on the three pillars of politics-security, economy and society-culture.
Addressing the meeting, PM Dung expressed his delight at the increasing cooperation between the parliaments of ASEAN member countries and the numerous activities and achievements of the AIPA General Assembly over recent years.
He stressed the increasing role of the Assembly and member parliaments in implementing the target of building the ASEAN Community.
He said Vietnam has been preparing for its assumption of the ASEAN chair in 2010 and the AIPA chair in the 2009-2010 term.
He said he hoped Vietnam would receive the support and assistance of other countries to its hosting of ASEAN events and the 31st AIPA General Assembly in September next year.
Also at the meeting, Deputy Chairperson of the Vietnamese National Assembly Tong Thi Phong on behalf of the AIPA delegation said it was an important forum for the two organisations of the region to exchange opinions in order to reach common ground in dealing with regional issues, and to further coordination on implementing targets set by the ASEAN Charter.
She suggested promoting regular interaction between the AIPA member parliaments and between the AIPA and the ASEAN in building legislative initiatives in order to harmonise ASEAN countries’ laws.
Sri Lanka reconstruction offers opportunities to VN
The current process of reconstruction of Sri Lanka , with programmes to build infrastructure and resettlement facilities, will bring numerous cooperation opportunities to the Vietnamese business community and investors, said Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
The Sri Lankan President said this while he was working with Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee Le Hoang Quan on Oct. 23 as part of his visit to Vietnam from Oct. 23-24.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa said that with the age-old relations between the two countries and many similarities in religion and culture, the two sides would rapidly step into a new, more effective era of cooperation.
He expressed his hope that Sri Lanka would soon have many Vietnamese investors and entrepreneurs and that new cooperation agreements between the two countries would help speed up the process.
The Ho Chi Minh City leader stated that the city would actively implement commitments by the two countries’ leaders and expressed his wish that the city would soon set up close cooperation with Sri Lanka ’s capital city of Colombo and other localities.
Deputy PM stresses need to build ASEAN Community
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Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem emphasised the need to define specific priorities in coordinating work and seeking ways to mobilise resources serving the goal of building an ASEAN Community.
Deputy PM Khiem delivered this message in a speech at a ministerial meeting of the ASEAN Coordinating Council, which coincided with meetings of the ASEAN Economic Community Council and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Council, in Hua Hin, Thailand, on October 22.
The Vietnamese representative stated that ASEAN should continue to boost the implementation of the second phase of the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) and narrow the development gap between its members.
He also briefed attendees on Vietnam’s preparations for its rotating ASEAN presidency in 2010.
At the meeting, ASEAN foreign ministers discussed preparations for the upcoming 15th ASEAN Summit as well as reviewed the implementation of the previous summit’s decisions on building an ASEAN Community and implementing the ASEAN Charter.
The ministers applauded the working results of the high-level Legal Experts’ Group on Follow-up to the ASEAN Charter.
At the ASEAN Economic Community Council meeting, ministers discussed criteria to assess the implementation of the ASEAN Economic Community and stressed the necessity of deploying economic agreements on schedule as well as speeding up the building of an ASEAN one-stop-shop ( OSS ) mechanism.
They agreed to further strengthen intra-bloc connectivity, ensuring the association’s central role in linking regional economies.
Meanwhile, the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Council discussed measures to boost cooperation in education and cope with climate change as well as addressing the social effects of the global financial crisis.
The ministers approved the Operation Regulations of the ASEAN Committee for Promotion and Protection of the Rights of Women and Children and agreed to strengthen cultural cooperation to raise public awareness about the ASEAN Community.
Vietnam willing to boost cooperation with Czech Republic
Vietnam is willing to be a bridge that links the Czech Republic and ASEAN countries and always tries to implement recent commitments signed between the two countries’ high-ranking officials.
The Vietnam- Czech Republic Friendship Association HCM City chapter Chairman Pham Pho made the statement at the 91st anniversary of the Czech Republic’s National Day (October 28) held in Ho Chi Minh City on October 23. He spoke highly of the country’s support for Vietnam in many international forums and its priority in ODA for Vietnam.
He thanked the Czech Republic ’s people for their assistances during past struggles for independence and national reunification as well as in personnel training. A large number of Vietnamese officials have studied and conducted research in the Czech Republic.
Vietnam hopes for continued UN support
Vietnam hopes that UN organisations will continue to support its national renewal process, and help it complete the Millennium Goals, cope with climate change and protect the environment.
Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan conveyed this desire while receiving the head representatives of UN organisations working in Vietnam in Hanoi on Oct. 23 on the occasion of the anniversary of the annual UN Day (Oct. 24).
He affirmed that the Vietnamese Government will cooperate closely with UN organisations to successfully implement the initiative “One UN”.
He expressed his pleasure at the effective cooperation between Vietnam and the UN over the past 30 years and expressed his wish that the cooperation would be developed in the coming time.
On behalf of the head representatives of UN organisations, Jean-Marc Olive, UN Acting Coordinator for Vietnam, expressed his hope that cooperation between the UN and Vietnam would continue to enjoy success in the future.
Korea-Vietnam Friendship Night held in Hanoi
The “2009 Korea-Vietnam Friendship Night” was held in Hanoi on Oct. 23 by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOIKA) to enhance friendship between the Republic of Korea (RoK) and Vietnam.
Attending the event, the RoK Ambassador to Vietnam said it was a fitting time for the event, just after RoK President Lee Myung-baks’ visit to Vietnam and the agreement to promote the relationship between the two countries to the level of a strategic cooperative partnership.
He expressed his wish that cooperation between the RoK and Vietnam would be constantly developed.
The annual event was attended by alumni of KOIKA’s training programmes, who took advantage of the event to do some networking.
Since 1991, KOICA helped train over 2,400 Vietnamese officials, who learned about Korea’s experiences in development and assistance to Vietnam’s efforts to develop itshuman resources.
At present, KOICA is providing funds to KOI CA Club, which connects KOICA trainees across Vietnam through the website http://vicka.vn . The club has also carried out many charitable activities, including helping disadvantaged children in Vietnam.
Friendship association to bolster VN-France ties
The Vietnam-France Friendship Association (VFFA) will continue boosting the fine development of the traditional friendship and solidarity with France , as well as French investors and enterprises doing business in Vietnam.
Newly-elected President of the VFFA Nguyen Huy Quang affirmed this at the organisation’s Congress in Hanoi on Oct. 23.
Addressing the congress, Permanent Deputy President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Associations Tran Dac Loi spoke highly of the VFFA’s achievements in developing relations with France over the past 10 years and urged the association to expand its activities beyond diplomacy and friendship to cooperation in economies, trade, culture, education, arts, healthcare, environment, poverty reduction, and tourism.
He also told the association to unite more people and expand its membership to enhance its role as a bridge for State and Party diplomacy.
VN, Lao provinces move to ramp up cooperation
Vietnam’s southern province of Binh Phuoc and the Lao province of Savanakhet have agreed to increase the exchange of information about investment, corporate incentives, investment promotion and on organising tourism and trade fairs.
Leaders of the two provinces reached a meeting of minds on the issues during a visit to Binh Phuoc on Oct. 23 by the Secretary of Savanakhet Party Committee, Vilayvan Phomkhe.
Savanakhet proposed that Binh Phuoc provide it with techniques in planting and processing long-day industrial crops such as cashews and rubber trees, and in animal husbandry, as well as producing goods for domestic consumption and export.
In turn, Savanakhet promised to create favourable conditions for businesses from Binh Phuoc to carry out socio-economic development projects in the Lao province.
The two provinces also agreed to enhance the exchange of high-level visits in a move to strengthen their traditional solidarity, special friendship and comprehensive cooperation.
During his talks with the Binh Phuoc Party Committee’s Secretary Nguyen Tan Hung, Vilayvan Phomkhe said Savanakhet boasts advantages in terms of farmland and natural resources, but it lacks capital, techniques and a skilled workforce, therefore the province wishes to cooperate with Binh Duong in fields where it has expertise, especially agriculture.
Sharing the view, Hung said Binh Phuoc and Savanakhet have complimentary strengths in many areas, particularly in agriculture, large-scale animal breeding and the construction of small- and medium-sized hydroelectric power plants.
VietNamNet/VNA | 
