Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh at the Lower Mekong-US Ministerial Meeting (Source: VNA)
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh underscored the importance of quality infrastructure and balance between economic growth and environment protection in his speech to the eighth Mekong-Japan Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on August 5.
He proposed the Mekong – Japan cooperation focus on the building of a feasibility study for a multi-mode transport route connecting the East-West Economic Corridor (EWEC) and the Southern Economic Corridor (SEC) with South Asia region. He called for increased coordination with the Mekong River Commission on assessing environmental impact caused by infrastructure projects, responding to natural disasters and climate change. Mekong countries and Japan should also work together to continue improving business climate and attracting investment in high added-value areas such as agriculture and tourism.
The meeting adopted the Mekong – Japan Action Plan to realise the Tokyo Strategy 2015 that covers specific projects across four pillars, including industrial infrastructure development in the Mekong region; increased hard connectivity between Mekong Sub-region and its vicinities; development of industries and value chains, human resources, regulatory and economic connectivity and people-to-people exchange; sustainable development towards a green Mekong with quality growth, and intensified Mekong-Japan cooperation with regional cooperative mechanisms.
The plan lists projects which are or will be implemented in the time ahead to make good use of the financial resources committed by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the 7th Mekong-Japan Summit. PM Abe committed 750 billion JPY in official development assistance to Mekong countries to materialise Tokyo Strategy 2015 and pledged priority to a 110 billion USD infrastructure initiative conducted between the Greater Mekong Sub-region and the Asian Development Bank.
Ministers also talked regional and international issues of shared concern, including the East Sea issue and Korean peninsula.
They agreed that the ninth meeting of this kind will take place in Laos next year, on the sidelines of the 49 th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
The same day, Deputy PM Minh and Republic of Korea (RoK)’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Yun Byung-se co-chaired the fifth Mekong – RoK Foreign Ministers’ meeting.
In his speech, Minh stressed the significance of increased connectivity through hard and soft infrastructure in the sub-region, especially transport and logistics infrastructure on the EWEC and SEC.
He called for continued collaboration in the management and sustainable use of water resources and other resources in the Mekong River, development of agriculture, rural areas and markets for farm produce made by Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.
He highly valued the role of private sector and suggesting making good use of effective and practical mechanisms like the Mekong – RoK Business Forum.
Participants hailed the positive progresses of the 2014-2017 Action Plan and the outcomes of the third Mekong-RoK business forum in Cambodia in June.
They welcomed the RoK’s decision to raise funding to the Mekong-RoK fund to 1 million USD in 2015.
Participants also shared views about the developments in Korean peninsula, the East Sea, climate change, disaster response, anti-terrorism and trans-national crime, ensuring water, energy and food security.
The sixth Mekong – RoK Foreign Ministers’ Meeting is slated for 2016 in Laos on the fringes of the 49 th Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.-VNA
ASEAN foreign ministers affirmed the resolve to complete remaining tasks towards the formation the ASEAN Community at the end of this year at the 48th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM 48).
Deputy PM Pham Binh Minh has called for US engagement in dealing with water-energy-food relations through supporting Mekong countries in seeking effective measures to cope with climate change.
The trip will be made at the invitations of Chinese Premier Li Qiang and WEF President and CEO Børge Brende, according to an announcement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Long spoke highly of the dynamic, positive, and comprehensive development of Vietnam – Russia relations in recent years. He affirmed that the Vietnamese Party and State place great importance on further strengthening the comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia in a substantive and effective manner, in line with the development needs of both nations.
At the conference, participants reported that the Government has so far issued 28 decrees on the delegation of responsibilities and powers between the central Government and two-tier local administrations. Several localities have already piloted the new governance model.
Reality is the ultimate benchmark for success, he said, urging drafting agencies to work out policies that foster development, reduce bureaucratic hurdles, and respect practical conditions.
Under the official dispatch signed on June 20, ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, and chairpersons of provincial and municipal People’s Committees are requested to concentrate efforts on implementing core measures to ensure the smooth operations of the new administrative framework.
The Party chief underscored the need for the press to innovate relentlessly, evolve to keep pace with the country's development, transform into a truly professional, humanistic, and modern sector that serves the cause of the Party, the State, and the people on the path to national construction and development.
The UN Secretary-General praised Vietnam’s remarkable achievements in socio-economic development and international integration in recent years, noting that the country has emerged as a model in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), promoting international peace and security, and engaging in key UN processes.
Nghia affirmed that this is a milestone of special significance, affirming and honouring the the Vietnamese revolutionary press’s glorious tradition of 100 years of serving the revolutionary cause of the Party, serving the Fatherland, and serving the people.
The Party and State of Vietnam always attach great importance to and give top priority to the development of Vietnam–China relations. Vietnam is ready to work with the Chinese Party and State to further deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership and promote the building of the Vietnam-China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance.
Under the leadership of President Ho Chi Minh and the CPV, President Cuong said, the press has been a steadfast force on the ideological and cultural front, rallying the masses to pursue national aspirations.
NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man stressed the need to accelerate the application of artificial intelligence and smart teaching equipment, innovate teaching and assessment methods, and further improve the quality of formal education.
He also pledged that the NA will promote its ongoing supervision, making sure that every promise must lead to results, and every commitment must bring about real changes.
Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien welcomed the proposals put forward by the US side and reiterated Vietnam’s request for consideration of key areas of interest, including reciprocal tariff policies and access for Vietnamese key export products to the US market.
Deputy PM Le Thanh Long proposed countries promote shared values, including building trust, sincerity, and solidarity among nations and peoples; fostering cooperation spirit and responsible behaviour as well as upholding international law and the UN Charter; and placing people at the centre and as the goal, the key player, and the driving force of all policies.
The show, together with a grand parade to be held silmutaneously at Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi, will celebrate the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution, the National Day, and the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA).
In particular, in April 2023, the two sides successfully carried out a joint operation that dismantled a major organised, transnational drug trafficking ring involving both Vietnamese and Cambodian suspects.
The Vietnamese Embassy in Israel is closely coordinating with relevant local agencies to stay informed and provide the utmost support possible for Vietnamese nationals.
The launch of Thanh Nien (Young People) newspaper in 1925, even before the founding of the Communist Party of Vietnam, is considered a testament to President Ho Chi Minh’s strategic foresight and strong belief in the guiding power of the revolutionary media.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh at the Lower Mekong-US Ministerial Meeting (Source: VNA)
