Category: Politics

New York: Vice State President Vo Thi Anh Xuan had bilateral meetings with Swiss President Viola Amherd and Latvian Prime Minister Evika Silina, and received New York City Mayor Eric Adams, on the occasion of her attendance at the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in New York on March 11 (local time).

Xuan congratulated Viola Amherd on becoming the President of Switzerland, and also the first woman to hold the position as the head of the Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport.

She proposed the two sides continue to exchange delegations at all levels, especially high-level ones, to promote bilateral and multilateral cooperation, thanked the Swiss Government for providing official development assistance (ODA) to Vietnam’s renovation since 1992, and said she hopes that the two sides will continue to promote development cooperation, innovation, and coordination to contribute to the common efforts of the international com
munity for sustainable development.

Appreciating Vietnam’s socio-economic achievements in recent years, Viola Amherd affirmed that Switzerland always values its friendship and multifaceted cooperation with Vietnam. She said that the two countries still have a lot of room and potential for economic, trade and investment collaboration.

The President shared Xuan’s views on the significance and importance of gender equality and women’s empowerment in the changing world context, and agreed that the two sides need to proactively coordinate in and contribute to the common efforts of the UN and the international community in this field, especially promoting the role of women in maintaining peace and security and participating in the UN peacekeeping forces.

The two leaders also discussed international and regional issues of mutual concern, including the situation in Europe. On this occasion, Xuan conveyed the invitation of President Vo Van Thuong to the Swiss President to visit Vietnam at an appropriate time.

Meet
ing PM Evika Silina, Xuan confirmed that Vietnam treasures and hopes to develop its friendship and multifaceted collaboration with Latvia.

She thanked Latvia for being one of the first countries to provide COVID-19 vaccines to Vietnam, and also one of the first European Union (EU) member countries to ratify the EU – Vietnam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA).

The Vice President proposed Latvia raise its voice to support the European Commission (EC)’s early removal of its “yellow card” warning against Vietnamese seafood exports, and coordinate with Vietnam and the international community to promote the settlement of international conflicts and disputes, including the East Sea one, by peaceful means on the basis of international law.

The Latvian PM stressed the need for the two countries to boost cooperation in potential fields such as information and communications, science – technology, labour, and pharmaceuticals.

She affirmed that the Latvian Government will continue prioritising its education and
training collaboration with Vietnam.

Exchanging opinions of several international and regional issues of mutual concern, the two sides agreed to maintain cooperation and mutual support at multilateral forums, including the UN.

Receiving Mayor Eric Adams, Xuan said that the Vietnam – US relation is entering a new stage of development with many opportunities for exchange and cooperation at the national and local levels. She recommended that New York authorities continue to support US and New York people and enterprises to do business in Vietnam, as well as creating favourable conditions for Vietnamese businesses and people living in the city.

She encouraged New York to work with Ho Chi Minh City to establish mechanisms to effectively implement cooperation agreements, and share with the largest economic hub of Vietnam its experience in developing international financial centres.

Agreeing with the Vietnamese leader’s proposals, Eric Adams affirmed to bring into full play New York’s strengths to intensify coop
eration with Vietnamese partners./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Sao Paulo: President of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) Nguyen Dinh Khang has engaged in discussions with representatives of labour unions from Brazil, Peru, and Uruguay, as part of his working trip to South America and attendance to the second conference of the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) Presidential Council held in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

While in Brazil, Khang, who is also WFTU Vice President, held talks with leaders of the Central of Workers of Brazil (CTB) and numerous bilateral meetings to strengthen ties with WFTU member unions, especially those in the Americas such as the Cuban workers’ center (CTC), Workers’ General Confederation of Peru (CGTP), Argentine Leather Manufacturing Union (SAMC), and Transport Workers’ Union of Uruguay.

From March 5 to 7, the Vietnamese delegation met with Secretary General of the Peruvian Communist Party (PCP) Luis Alberto Villanueva Carbajal and Secretary General of the General Confederation of Peruvian Workers (CGTP) Gerónimo López Sevillano
, while holding a working session with the Federation of Construction Workers of Peru (FTCCP).

Hosting the guests from Vietnam, the Peruvian Party leader expressed his admiration for the Southeast Asian nation’s economic, political, and social achievements under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), and lauded contributions by the VGCL to such development.

At the meeting with the CGTP Secretary General, both sides exchanged experiences in labour union activities in representing and protecting workers as well as measures to step up cooperation between the sides.

With 2.8 million members, the CGTP, affiliated with the Communist Party of Peru, is one of the four labour organisations recognised by the government.

From March 7 to 9, Khang paid a courtesy call to Secretary General of the Communist Party of Uruguay Juan Castillo, held talks with Marcelo Abdala, the president of the Uruguayan trade union federation PIT-CNT, and worked with Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Security of Uruguay
Mario Arizti.

Castillo told Khang his desire to further strengthen collaboration with the CPV and to learn from Vietnam’s valuable experiences in the building and development of the nation for the sake of the people. He noted that, together with the Montevideo authorities, the Uruguayan party is working on the establishment of a Vietnamese cultural space, featuring an image of late President Ho Chi Minh, in a prominent location in the capital.

The talks with the PIT-CNT president saw the sides informing each other on their respective operations and mutual concerns. They also emphasised the important leadership of the communist party in labour union activities.

PIT-CNT is Uruguay’s sole labour union, wielding significant influence in the country by having around 25% of the workforce as its members.

Meanwhile, Khang and the Uruguayan deputy minister discussed legal regulations and state management related to labour and workers’ unions in each country, especially regarding the tackling of labour disputes and
strikes./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu held talks in Hanoi on March 11 with Komura Masahiro, Member of the House of Representatives, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, who is in Vietnam for a visit from March 10-13.

Vu proposed the two sides maintain the exchange of high-level and all-level delegations in 2024, and Japan continue to cooperate and support Vietnam to promote industrialisation and modernisation in the new context.

The Vietnamese official expressed his satisfaction with the progress in bilateral economic cooperation, and in improving Vietnam’s investment in the environment as well as collaboration in such new fields as green transformation, digital transformation, and implementation of projects within the framework of Japan’s Asian Zero Emissions Community (AZEC) initiative.

He also suggested the two countries boost labour cooperation and training of skilled human resources to meet their demands, and create favourable conditions for Vietnamese labourers in
Japan.

The Japanese official affirmed Vietnam has an important position in Japan’s foreign policy on the region. Emphasising the importance of the two countries’ establishment of their comprehensive strategic partnership and organisation of large-scale events celebrating the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations in 2023, Komura said that his ministry will maintain close coordination with the Vietnamese side to successfully prepare visits and contacts by high-level leaders in the coming time.

The two officials also exchanged views on the world and regional situations; agreed to strengthen coordination and cooperation on international issues of mutual concern, and to actively contribute to peace and prosperity in the region; and affirmed to maintain mutual support at multilateral forums and international organisations./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

New York: Vice State President Vo Thi Anh Xuan suggested empowering women and girls in science, technology and digital transformation while addressing the 68th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) in New York on March 11 (local time).

The work should go in tandem with the fight against discrimination and violence in cyberspace, she said, stressing the need to promote women’s role in building an international environment of peace, stability, and inclusive and sustainable development, and handling non-traditional challenges, especially climate change.

Women should be given opportunities to maximise their capability in economic, political and social activities, and further engage in decision-making mechanisms in these fields, especially economy, Xuan continued.

The Vice President called on UN countries to work together to enhance partnership for sustainable development, and provide financial support and policy consultations for developing nation
s.

She used the occasion to brief the participants on Vietnam’s achievements in ensuring gender equality, elaborating that female National Assembly deputies make up 30.3% of the total seats; and female labour force participation, 70%.

In January, Vietnam issued a national action programme on women, peace and security for 2024-2030, Xuan said, affirming that the country stands ready to closely cooperate with others and partners for gender equality, and women’s and girls’ empowerment, ensuring that no one is left behind.

At the session, UN leaders expressed their concern about the stagnant implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially that on hunger eradication and poverty reduction, saying one in every 10 women in the world lives in extreme poverty.

UN leaders emphasised the need to ensure finance and enhance institutions to fully put in place the 1995 Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and strengthen women’s economic empowerm
ent.

The CSW is instrumental in promoting women’s rights, documenting the reality of women’s lives throughout the world, and shaping global standards on gender equality and the empowerment of women.

On the same day, Vice President Xuan met with Administrator of the UN Development Programme (UNDP) Achim Steiner, during which she hailed the leadership role of the UNDP within the UN development system, particularly in advancing the implementation of the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

She thanked the organisation for its continuous support to and partnership with Vietnam in the country’s reconstruction, development, and national-building efforts over the past nearly 50 years, with total assistance nearing 1 billion USD.

Xuan spoke of Vietnam’s efforts in implementing the Socio-economic Development Strategy for the 2021-2030 period, and the Socio-economic Development Plan for the 2021 – 2025 period, including maintaining macroeconomic stability, addressing climate change and natural disasters, transitio
ning growth models towards green, sustainable and inclusive development, as well as advancements in the Human Development Index (HDI) and gender equality.

She highly appreciated UNDP’s cooperation in implementing the Vietnam-UNDP Cooperation Programme for the 2022-2026 period, as well as in the draft outline of the Resource Mobilsation Plan for implementing the Vietnam Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP).

The leader suggested the UNDP continue financial and policy assistance for Vietnam, help the country improve its capacity to implement the aforementioned priority policies, support the socio-economic development in the Mekong Delta region, and mobilise adequate resources from development partners to ensure the implementation of these tasks.

For his part, Steiner congratulated Vietnam on its great achievements thus far, describing them as a source of encouragement and substantial contribution to implementing the UN’s priorities.

He said Vietnam and the UNDP share common priorities regarding green an
d digital transformation, affirming that international organisation stands ready to support Vietnam in achieving its commitment of reaching net-zero emissions by 2050 and in implementing the JETP, accelerating decarbonisation processes and ensuring affordable access to clean energy. It will act as a bridge between Vietnam and international donors, as well as among the Mekong River basin countries, to support Vietnam in meeting its set objectives.

The two sides agreed to maintain close collaboration to enable Vietnam to make more significant contributions to UNDP’s global efforts in promoting sustainable development./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son received Komura Masahiro, member of the House of Representatives and Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan, in Hanoi on March 12.

Lauding the great progress of the Vietnam – Japan friendship and cooperation in various fields, Minister Son noted that Japan remains a partner of leading importance of Vietnam. It ranks first in terms of official development assistance (ODA) provision, second in labour cooperation, third in investment and tourism cooperation, and fourth among trading partners of Vietnam.

He said 2023 was a particularly successful year of the Vietnam – Japan relations as it saw the elevation of their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, which created an important basis for bilateral relations in the next 50 years, along with mutual visits by nearly 200 delegations at all levels, and more than 500 activities celebrating the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties.

He asked Komura and the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to work close
ly with the Vietnamese side to promote the implementation of the newly established comprehensive strategic partnership and the agreements reached between the countries’ leaders; increase exchanges at all levels and between their Parties, States, and parliaments; and reactivate and step up cooperation mechanisms between ministries and sectors of the countries.

The host official called on Japan to continue assisting Vietnam to build an independent and self-reliant economy, and provide new-generation ODA for large-scaled strategic infrastructure development, climate change response, digital transformation, and healthcare projects.

Vietnam is pushing ahead with the establishment of a Government working group to accelerate investment cooperation and ODA projects between the two countries, he announced.

The Foreign Minister also asked for boosting people-to-people exchanges, a foundation for sustainable relations, through strengthened cooperation in culture, tourism, labour, and human resources training.

For hi
s part, Komura pledged close coordination with the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to successfully organise high-level mutual visits in the coming time.

Japanese businesses are highly interested in expanding investment in Vietnam, he said, proposing the Vietnamese Government continue to further improve the investment climate and roll out partnerships in new areas like digital transformation, green transition, and cooperation within the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) framework.

At the meeting, the two sides also touched upon some regional and international issues. They affirmed that Vietnam and Japan will continue supporting each other at multilateral forums and international organisations while enhancing coordination, stance sharing, and cooperation in issues of common concern./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: President Vo Van Thuong received Pakistani Ambassador Samina Mehtab in Hanoi on March 12, congratulating the outgoing diplomat on her excellent fulfillment of tasks in Vietnam.

The State leader highly valued the ambassador’s active and effective contributions to the friendship and cooperation between the two countries, especially the organisation of many meaningful activities to celebrate the 50th founding anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic relations in 2022.

He highly appreciated Mehtab for holding a number of effective activities to promote cooperation between ministries, sectors, localities, and businesses of the two countries, thereby helping develop the Vietnam – Pakistan friendship and cooperation and expand cooperation areas, especially economy, trade, tourism, and people-to-people exchanges.

Many business delegations of Pakistan have also come to Vietnam to explore investment opportunities, he noted.

Thanking the President and relevant agencies of Vietnam for their active support for h
er and her colleagues to fulfill duties, Mehtab said she was deeply impressed with the sentiments and hospitality of Vietnamese people, which, she said, is why the country’s tourism is growing so strongly.

She underlined the importance of economic and trade partnerships and voiced her delight at the vigorous growth of bilateral trade.

The ambassador expressed her hope that the two sides will soon hold high-level mutual visits to open up more opportunities for boosting trade ties. She also suggested the countries’ parliamentary friendship groups increase sharing experience to help enrich cooperation achievements.

In addition, Mehtab called on the two countries to further step up collaboration in other fields, particularly information technology and between chambers of commerce to promote coordination programmes between Vietnamese and Pakistani businesses.

President Thuong emphasised that Vietnam always treasures the cooperation with Pakistan and wishes the bilateral relations will develop more strongly in
the future.

He agreed with the ambassador’s proposal on increasing high-level delegation exchanges, asking the two sides to boost mutual visits by delegations of ministries, sectors, localities, businesses, associations, and parliamentary friendship groups, along with people-to-people interactions, so as to enhance mutual understanding and friendship.

Vietnam and Pakistan should make joint efforts to secure more fruitful partnerships in trade and investment, he added.

Through the ambassador, President Thuong sent congratulations to Asif Ali Zardari on his recent election as President of Pakistan and invited the latter to pay a visit to Vietnam.

He also expressed his hope that with her experience, understanding, and special sentiments towards Vietnam, Mehtab will further contribute to the two countries’ relations in the time to come./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Vientiane: General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith received a delegation of Hanoi led by Dinh Tien Dung, Politburo member of the Communist Party of Vietnam and Secretary of the municipal Party Committee, in Vientiane on March 12.

Briefing his host on the outcomes of the talks between the Hanoi and Vientiane delegations, Dung said the fruitful cooperation between the two capital cities is one of the vivid demonstrations of the Vietnam – Laos special traditional friendship.

He affirmed that Hanoi will continue coordinating closely with Vientiane to effectively carry out the agreements reached by leaders of the two Parties and the two States, along with the deals between the two capitals.

The Lao leader spoke highly of the outcomes of Dung’s talks with Secretary of the Vientiane Party Committee Anouphap Tounalom, along with the two cities’ partnerships under their cooperation agreement for 2022 – 2025, especially Hanoi’s practical assistance to the L
ao side.

He voiced his belief that Hanoi and Vientiane will continue productively implementing their cooperation agreement and carry out new cooperation areas in an increasingly effective manner. He also called on Hanoi to actively share its experience in the Party and political system building as well as other fields with Lao localities.

The top leader of Laos noted that he believed the two capital cities’ friendship and cooperation will become a role model of the two countries’ locality-to-locality cooperation, thus contributing to the great friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos.

Also on March 12, the Hanoi delegation attended the inauguration ceremony of the headquarters of the Justice Department and the Procuracy of Vientiane. The project, invested with 3 million USD, is a gift from the Party organisation, administration, and people of Hanoi to their Vientiane counterparts.

The same day, the delegation took part in the Hanoi – Vientiane tourism and trad
e promotion programme 2024./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency