Party General Secretary receives red-carpet treatment in Seoul

A red carpet welcome ceremony was held at the Presidential Palace in Seoul on the afternoon of November 14 for Party General Secretary Nong Duc Manh and his entourage in the presence of Republic of Korea President Roh Moo-hyun.

Later the same day, Party General Secretary Manh and President Roh Moo-hyun held talks at the Presidential Palace.

In an atmosphere of friendship and mutual understanding, General Secretary Manh and President Roh Moo-hyun informed each other of their respective countries’ situation and discussed orientations and measures to promote the friendly cooperative relationship between Viet Nam and the RoK.

The two sides also exchanged views on international and regional issues of common concern.

President Roh Moo-hyun emphasised that the RoK people admire the achievements recorded by the Vietnamese people in national development.

He took the occasion to thank the Vietnamese Government for creating favourable conditions for RoK enterprises to invest and conduct business in Viet Nam as well as for Viet Nam ’s stance on the inter-Korean issue.

President Roh Moo-hyun praised Viet Nam ’s increasing role on the international arena and the nation’s active contributions to promoting peace, stability, cooperation and development on the Korean peninsula and in the region and the world at large.

He also congratulated Viet Nam on its election as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and expressed his belief that Viet Nam would continue to make important contributions to world peace and security.

President Roh Moo-hyun affirmed his country’s consistent policy of attaching importance to the development of comprehensive partnership with Viet Nam and wished for the further development of the two countries’ relationship.

General Secretary Manh spoke highly of the achievements of the RoK government and people in socio-economic development, which he said have made the RoK an increasingly important contributor to the regional economic development and created favourable conditions for further promotion of Viet Nam-RoK economic cooperation.

He affirmed that Viet Nam attached importance to developing a comprehensive and long-term partnership with the RoK. Viet Nam welcomes and will continue creating favourable conditions for RoK investors to invest long term in the country, he said.

The Vietnamese Party leader thanked the RoK for supporting Viet Nam ’s bid to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2008-2009 tenure.

General Secretary Manh and President Roh Moo-hyun expressed their satisfaction at the effective and rapid development of the two countries’ friendship and cooperation over the past 15 years. Both sides affirmed determination to further develop their comprehensive partnership in the 21 st century, in the interest of the two peoples and prosperity in each country, contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

The two sides agreed to increase high-level meetings in various forms, continue to expand the exchange of delegations between branches and localities of the two countries, promote economic cooperation, especially in investment, labour, shipbuilding, steel, seafood, shipping, tourism and sports, and raise two-way trade to 10 billion USD in the next 5-7 years, while taking effective measures to balance bilateral trade.

The two leaders affirmed that through economic cooperation, Viet Nam and the RoK, with their own strengths, can assist each other for mutual development. They applauded the organisation of “Vietnamese Cultural Days in the RoK” and “Korean Cultural Day in Viet Nam ”, saying that it was an useful form of cultural exchange, thus strengthening mutual understanding, friendship and cooperation between the two nations.

President Roh Moo-hyun gave a positive response to General Secretary Manh’s proposal that the RoK recognises Viet Nam as a full market economy as soon as possible, saying that the recognition would help promote equal cooperation for mutual benefit between the RoK and Viet Nam.

The two sides shared their close viewpoints on international and regional matters of mutual concern and affirmed that they will promote cooperation in international and regional organisations and forums, boost multilateral cooperation within the framework of international and regional forums such as ASEAN+3, ASEAN+1, ARF, APEC, ASEM, and the United Nations.

General Secretary Manh reiterated Viet Nam ’s unchanged support for the aspiration of people from both the two parts of Korea for national reunification. Viet Nam welcomed efforts by the two Koreas for peace and national reunification on the basis of independence and national self-determination in the spirit of the 2000 and 2007 high-level inter-Korean agreements as well as recent developments in the six-party negotiation, he said. He stated that Viet Nam is ready to actively contribute to promoting peace, stability and cooperation on the Korea peninsular and in the region, he said.

General Secretary Manh took the occasion to express his respect for President Roh Moo-hyun’s contribution to Viet Nam-RoK ties.

In the evening, President Roh Moo-hyun hosted a banquet in honor of General Secretary Manh and his entourage.

(Source: VNA)