Day: September 26, 2021

Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong; President of the Cambodian People’s Party and Prime Minister of Cambodia Hun Sen; and General Secretary of the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party and President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith held a meeting in Hanoi on September 26.

At the meeting, the leaders of the three parties highly valued the significance and importance of the meeting and informed one another of the situation of each party and country, including party works and socio-economic development, especially in the context of the fight against the COVID-19.

They exchanged ideas on the cooperation over the past time; discussed its orientations for the time to come; and agreed on the importance of the traditional relations, solidarity and friendship among the three parties and countries. The leaders also agreed to strengthen cooperation in various fields and to continue exchanging ideas and cooperating in the fields in the time to come, for the benefit of the three peoples and for the sake of peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world over.

On the occasion, the Cambodian leader paid courtesy visits to President Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and the Lao leader did the same to President Phuc.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc landed at Noi Bai airport in Hanoi on September 25 evening, concluding his official visit to Cuba and his attending of the high-level general debate of the UN General Assembly, as well as bilateral activities in New York from September 18-24.

Right after his landing, the Foreign Ministry, the Ministry of Health and the Vietnam Fatherland Front held a ceremony to hand over and to receive vaccines and medical equipment and materials for the fight against the COVID-19 transported to Vietnam on his special plane.

Deputy Foreign Minister Dang Hoang Giang affirmed that the President’s working trip achieved all the targets set. It clearly extended the message of friendship and faithfulness with the traditional friend Cuba and of a dynamic, self-reliant Vietnam that always strives for peace and development.

One of the prominent and practical achievements of the trip is the support from the international community, especially to Vietnam’s pandemic fight and the socio-economic restoration and development.

Besides the 1.05 million doses of Abdala vaccine from Cuba transported by the special plane, foreign countries and partners committed and provided another 1.5 million doses to Vietnam and the US committed a large quantity of vaccines to Vietnam through the COVAX mechanism in the time to come.

In his working session with the Pfizer, the company committed to provide all the 31 million doses of the vaccine contracted with Vietnam right in this year and 20 million doses for children when data are sufficient. Besides vaccine doses, many partners helped Vietnam with medical equipment valued at 8.8 million USD.

In the witness of President Nguyen Xuan Phuc, the token of the Abdala vaccine, ventilators and other medical equipment was handed to Do Van Chien, Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front; Miniter of Health Nguyen Thanh Long; and Deputy Defence Minister Hoang Xuan Chien.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

The UNICEF Hanoi on September 26 released a press communique saying that its head Rana Flowers has expressed her appreciation to the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs’ recent issuance of a guidance asking localities to prioritise the care for children orphaned by the COVID-19.

In the communique, the official affirmed her organisation, together with the Vietnamese government and people, expressed deep concerns and hoped to support for the more than 1,500 children in Ho Chi Minh City who lost their parents to the pandemic.

According to her, it is important above all to quickly find a family environment to them. That is why UNICEF highly valued a document by the ministry on September 23 to localities on taking timely measures to care for this group of children.

The official described the decision as timely in ensuring that the orphans will receive necessary support to overcome this time full of difficulties and challenges. In her opinion, the government should develop a system to protect them.

To prepare against and cope with this crisis on both short and long terms, it is important that the government provide practical and necessary sentimental and financial supports for the relatives that take care of the orphans.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Relations between Vietnam and the Wallonia-Brussels General Delegation in the country will continue to be reinforced and diversified in the time ahead, according to Nicolas Dervaux, Representative of the Governments of the French-Speaking Community of Belgium and the Walloon Region in Vietnam.

He was speaking in an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Wallonia-Brussels General Delegation in Vietnam and the 50th founding anniversary of the Belgian French Community (September 27).

The Wallonia-Brussels General Delegation was set up in Vietnam in 1996. Six years later, bilateral ties continued growing well with the signing of an important agreement between the Vietnamese Government and the French Community of Belgium, the Wallonia region, and the French Community Commission of the Brussels-Capital Region (COCOF).

More than 30 high-ranking official visits have been made, helping to enhance their partnership, mutual trust, and experience sharing toward sustainable development, Dervaux noted.

So far, 783 joint projects approved by the Vietnam – Wallonia-Brussels General Delegation Joint Committee have gained encouraging results. The two sides have given special attention to cooperation in health care, environment, new technology, tertiary education, vocational training, scientific research, culture, and the French language.

The representative said promoting the projects that combining scientific research and economic development will be the top common priority of the General Delegation. Win-win partnerships will continue in various areas such as biotechnology, healthcare, and environmental protection. Besides, academic and cultural cooperation will also be enhanced further.

Highlighting the continued intensification and diversification of bilateral ties in the coming time, he said the General Delegation, the Wallonia Export-Investment Agency (AWEX), and the Vietnamese Ministry of Planning and Investment, relevant ministries and agencies are actively consulting with one another to consider the proposed cooperation projects in some strategic development areas of both sides.

Cooperation orientations for 2022 – 2024 will be identified basing on the Vietnamese Government’s priorities in the socio-economic development plan for 2021 – 2025 as well as the strengths of Wallonia-Brussels, Dervaux noted, adding that the level of traditional cooperation will be elevated and new cooperation fields created.

The two sides will focus their ties on social issues, health care, human resources development, culture, scientific research, industrial development, agriculture, and logistics, among others.

The Wallonia-Brussels General Delegation will also continue to focus on the cooperation areas that have proved fruitful, he went on.

Regarding the EU – Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) that took effect in August 2020, Dervaux said the General Delegation has been helping Vietnamese ministries and sectors to optimise relevant knowledge, which will help fuel economic development, investment and trade, and reduce difficulties and trade barriers.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son on September 25 visited the Embassy of Vietnam in Russia where he met with the embassy staff, Vietnamese business leaders and representatives in the European country.

It formed part of his official visit to Russia from September 25 – 28 at the invitation of Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov.

Ambassador Dang Minh Khoi briefed Son on the embassy’s recent activities and the situation of the Vietnamese people living in Russia at the time of COVID-19.

Minister Son informed the Vietnamese expats in Russia of Vietnam’s socio-economic development and COVID-19 response efforts, saying the State and Party are taking the “vaccine diplomacy” very seriously and his ministry is making all possible efforts to have as many as possible COVID-19 vaccine doses delivered to Vietnam.

He also briefed them on the outcomes of President Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s official visit to Cuba and his trip to New York for the General Debate of the UN General Assembly’s 76th session and sideline activities.

The minister emphasised that the Party and State attach great importance to the comprehensive strategic partnership between Vietnam and Russia characterised by three main pillars – security-defence cooperation, energy and oil cooperation, and education and training cooperation. Despite challenges caused by COVID-19, the two countries have maintained high-level meetings and phone talks, he said.

He appreciated the Embassy of Vietnam in Russia for its active efforts to negotiate with Russian partners for the production of Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine in Vietnam. He also highly spoke of the Vietnamese expats’ contribution to Vietnam’s COVID-19 control fund, saying they serve as a bridge to boost trade and ties between the two countries.

The minister also received 135,000 USD in cash donated from the Vietnamese Association in Russia to Vietnam’s COVID-19 fight.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Media outlets in the Czech Republic have published several articles highlighting President Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s remarks at the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, as well as Vietnam’s role in promoting multilateral cooperation and international law to solve global challenges.

In its article, the halonoviny.cz newspaper spoke highly of President Phuc’s speech at the high-level general debate at the UN General Assembly’s 76th session.

It noted that the Vietnamese leader put forth detailed proposals to step up multilateral cooperation, including promoting the role of the UN and international law in responding to urgent global challenges, especially the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and issues relevant to peace and stability of each country, each region, and the world as a whole.

With regard to COVID-19 response, the article applauded Vietnam’s proposal to enhance international cooperation, which should prioritise the supply of vaccines to the countries with low vaccination rates and create conditions for developing nations to cooperate in vaccine production and supply chains.

Facing the pandemic’s intensive impacts, Vietnam called on countries to strengthen ties to turn challenges into opportunities by accelerating digital transformation, applying technology, and promoting sustainable development, according to the writing.

The newspaper also applauded Vietnam’s appeal for stronger cooperation to minimise and deal with adverse impacts of climate change.

Vietnam asked developed nations to assist poor and developing countries in terms of finance, technology, and capacity building so as to reduce emissions, prevent and mitigate natural disasters, and adopt a circular economy.

This article highly valued the country’s viewpoint that maintaining peace and stability in each country, each region, and the world is the prerequisite for post-pandemic recovery and growth, and that the international community, with the UN playing the central role, needs to show their goodwill, make responsible contributions, and exert common efforts to intensify trust among the countries on the basis of equality; cooperation; respect for one another’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity; no interference in one another’s internal affairs; and peaceful settlement of disputes.

It also highlighted Vietnam’s foreign policy that lays stress on multilateralism, with the UN playing the central role and international law serving as the foundation, to help maintain peace, stability, and development in the world.

Meanwhile, parlamentnilisty.cz also ran an article underlining Vietnam’s viewpoint of promoting multilateral cooperation and international law in resolving global challenges, including the East Sea issue.

It noted that addressing the UN General Assembly’s 76th session, President Phuc emphasised Vietnam’s policy on fostering multilateral cooperation and international law, with the UN at the centre, to deal with global challenges, including navigation security in the East Sea, thereby helping to sustain peace, stability, and development in the Indo-Pacific region and the world.

This viewpoint matches the common trend in the current multipolar world, requiring the international community’s cooperation and common efforts in response to global challenges, the newspaper wrote.

It stressed that the country showed strong determination to work with ASEAN to help maintain a world order based on international law and the UN Charter, and promote the international community’s awareness and common efforts in dealing the East Sea issue by peaceful means on the basis of international law and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), thus contributing to conflict prevention for the sake of regional and global peace, cooperation, and development.

The article said the East Sea is an important international shipping route, and that the EU and European countries support the viewpoint of boosting multilateral cooperation and respect for international law and UNCLOS in peacefully settling the East Sea issue.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Former Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Nguyen Duc Chung and two company executives have been prosecuted for their wrongdoings in the purchase of water cleaning agent Redoxy 3C for purifying lakes in the city.

The Supreme People’s Procuracy prosecuted Chung, Vo Tien Hung (General Director of the State-owned Hanoi Water Drainage One Member Co. Ltd), and Nguyen Truong Giang (Director of the Arktic Trading Service Co. Ltd) on the charge of “abusing position, power while performing duties”, regulated in Clause 3 of Article 356 in the 2015 Penal Code (revised and supplemented in 2017).

According to the indictment, in 2016, the Hanoi People’s Committee requested relevant units to deal with water pollution in local rivers and lakes by seeking suitable advanced technologies.

Chung, then Chairman of the committee, chose the treatment technology of Germany’s Watch Water company and placed orders on this firm for Redoxy 3C for the work.

He told Hung to buy this agent via Arktic – an intermediary company where Giang acted as the Director – attempting personal profit.

Arktic is wholly invested by Chung’s wife, Nguyen Thi Truc Chi Hoa, and has their son, Nguyen Duc Hanh, represented in the business registration certificate. Hoa asked another person to represent her family in the ownership of 40 percent of this firm’s charter capital, while Giang acted as the owner of the remaining 60 percent. Hoa repeatedly falsified papers to change contributors to this company’s capital.

The procuracy held that the actions by Chung and the others have caused “serious losses”, totaling over 36 billion VND (nearly 1.6 million USD), to the State.

In December 2020, the Hanoi People’s Court found Chung guilty of “appropriating confidential state documents” and decided to sentence him to five years in prison.

Source: Vietnam News Agency