Top leader’s trip to consolidate upward trend of Vietnam - UN ties: professor
The development trend of the Vietnam - United Nations relations will be further consolidated following Party General Secretary and State President To Lam’s trip to attend the UN Summit of the Future and the 79th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 79), and to hold working sessions in the US, a Vietnamese-American professor has said.
History Professor Nguyen Thi Lien Hang from Columbia University grants an interview to the Vietnam News Agency. (Photo: VNA)
New York (VNA) – The development trend of the Vietnam - United Nations relations will be further consolidated following Party General Secretary and State President To Lam’s trip to attend the UN Summit of the Future and the 79th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 79), and to hold working sessions in the US, a Vietnamese-American professor has said.
Talking to the Vietnam News Agency on this occasion, History Professor Nguyen Thi Lien Hang from the New York-based Columbia University perceived that the trip, set to begin on September 21, holds great significance amid Vietnam’s growing relations with the UN and the US. It takes place ahead of the 50th anniversary of Vietnam’s UN membership, 30 years since the normalisation of the country's ties with the US in 1995 and, especially, amid the first anniversary of the elevation of the two countries’ relationship to the highest level – comprehensive strategic partnership (2023).
Vietnam is an active member that is making more and more contributions to the UN, she said, noting the trip will once again demonstrate it as a dynamic and active country with increasing development, regardless of at regional or global level.
Expressing her delight that the top leader of Vietnam will visit Columbia University, Hang said cultural-educational diplomacy is a consistent part of the country’s foreign policy.
Tertiary education plays an important role in the Vietnam-US partnership over the last 30 years and also forms one of the factors ensuring close-knit links in their comprehensive strategic partnership, she went on.
The professor applauded the new relations between Columbia University, one of the leading of its kind in the US, and the Vietnamese Government, including in promoting a centre of Vietnamese studies which gives insights into the Southeast Asi🌺an nation’s language, history, politics and economy, thereby helping reinforce bilateral connections./.
The upcoming participation of Party General Secretary and State President To Lam in the UN Summit of the Future and the 79th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 79) reflects the highest level of political commitment at a crucial time when the international community is determined to promote multilateralism to address a series of current global challenges, said Dennis Francis, President of the UN General Assembly’s 78th session.
The upcoming trip to attend the United Nations Summit of the Future and the 79th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 79), and to hold working sessions in the US by General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and State President To Lam is of great significance, as it serves as an opportunity to affirm Vietnam’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralism, and diversification of international relations.
Cooperation between Vietnam and the United Nations (UN) over the last 47 years (September 20, 1977 – 2024) has contributed to protecting national interests, particularly in strengthening a peaceful and secure environment conducive to development, fostering deeper international integration, thus increasing Vietnam's position on the global stage.
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The country is willing to participate in collective efforts to promote cooperation and mobilise resources to advance the current priority issues of developing countries, such as trade, investment, infrastructure connectivity, making the most of scientific and technological advances for development, and people-to-people exchanges, Hang said.
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Vietnam is a country with which Russia shares a special relationship. In the 1950s and 60s, particularly during Vietnam’s struggle for independence, the two countries forged a deep bond. While much has changed over time, the friendship and cooperation between our nations have endured, said Russian President Vladimir Putin.
For 50 years, Vietnam and New Zealand have worked together to uphold peace and prosperity for their peoples and the region. The friendship, cooperation, and mutual understanding Vietnam and New Zealand nurtured have grown from a seed into a deeply rooted, strong, and thriving tree, she stressed.
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