Vietnam’s Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh met separately with his counterparts from Brunei, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Norway on June 30, talking ways to increase bilateral ties further.
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| Vietnam’s Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh meets Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida. |
Vietnam’s Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh met separately with his counterparts from Brunei, Japan, the Republic of Korea and Norway on June 30, talking ways to increase bilateral ties further.
The minister’s meetings took place on the sidelines of the 46 th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM-46) in Brunei.
In his meeting with Brunei Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Mohamed Bolkiah, Minh hailed the host country’s efforts in organising the AMM-46.
Both expressed their delight at the fruitful development in the friendship and multi-faceted cooperation between the two countries.
They agreed to the prompt organisation of the first Vietnam-Brunei Joint Committee to review the partnership and propose new areas of cooperation, especially in fields of high potential, such as trade, agriculture, oil and gas and labour.
Minh confirmed Vietnam’s support for Brunei to successfully assume the ASEAN Chair 2013.
He expressed his hope that the country will continue working with Vietnam and other ASEAN members to accelerate the formation of the ASEAN Community, which will more firmly connect the bloc’s members.
The Vietnamese minister also urged Brunei to work with the bloc to find consensus over the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and the terms of the proposed Code of Conduct in the Eat Sea (COC).
Meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida, the two sides noted with pleasure the rapid and comprehensive development seen in the Vietnam-Japan relationship, especially at a time when the two countries are celebrating the 40 th anniversary of the bilateral diplomatic ties.
Kishida emphasised that Vietnam is an important strategic partner of Japan, as demonstrated when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe decided to visit Vietnam first after taking office.
The two ministers agreed to enhance the exchange of high-ranking delegations to deepen the strategic partnership.
They also agreed to finalise plans for the fifth Vietnam-Japan Cooperation Committee in Tokyo, which will map out the next steps for their strategic partnership, especially in economics, science-technology and human resources development.
The Japanese side pledged to continue its official development assistance (ODA) to Vietnam and foster cooperation to effectively implement the fifth phase of the Vietnam-Japan Joint Initiative while assisting the country in devising its modernisation strategy.
In his meeting with RoK counterpart Yun Byung Se, Minh declared his satisfaction with the rapid and effective development between the two countries in all areas, especially in the cooperation between the two foreign ministries.
Yun Byung Se replied by saying Vietnam is the RoK’s leading ASEAN partner, adding that his country wishes to further boost the strategic cooperative partnership between them.
Together they proposed a number of measures to lift the relationship, such as maintaining delegation exchanges and promoting trade and investment ties.
Minh then asked the RoK to consider signing a memorandum of understanding on labour cooperation between the two countries, creating conditions for Vietnam to continue bringing its guest workers to the RoK.
At the end of the discussions, Minh conveyed President Truong Tan Sang’s invitation to RoK President Park Gyn Hae to visit Vietnam soon.
In his final meeting in a busy day, Minh met his Norwegian counterpart Espen Barth Eide. He praised Norway’s assistance to Vietnam in coping with the challenges posed by climate change.
He also congratulated Norway on the country’s signing of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, expressing his hope that the country will actively contribute to peace, stability and development in the region.
For his part, Eide confirmed Norway’s recognition of Vietnam’s role in the region as well as the country’s huge market potential.
(Source: VNA)
