Foreign affairs

Vietnam always treasures the role of the Philippines in ASEAN, and as the respective strategic partner, both countries should step up all-faceted relations, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) received Foreign Minister of the Philippines Teodoro Lopez Locsin in Hanoi on July 8  Vietnamese, Philippine foreign ministers hold talks Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh (R) and Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Lopez Locsin Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh welcomed the first official visit to Vietnam by Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Lopez Locsin during their talks in Hanoi on July 8, believing that the visit will help strengthen bilateral strategic partnership. Minh said the visit will also promote ties between the two foreign ministries following the ninth meeting of the Vietnam-Philippines Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation last March. Locsin, who is in Vietnam … [Read more...] about Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc hosts Philippine Foreign Minister

Officers from the Emergency Response Team, Tanglin Division and Ground Response Force from Toa Payoh Neighbourhood Police Centre during a counter-terrorism exercise, on Aug 6, 2016 (Source: http://www.straitstimes.com) Hanoi (VNA) – Singapore on February 27 proposed a new bill to deal with terror attacks by preventing people in the area from taking photos or videos of the incident and communicating about police operations. According to the city-state’s Strait Times newspaper, the proposal, which is part of a Public Order and Safety (Special Powers) Bill 2018 introduced in parliament, would apply to journalists and carry punishments such as fines or prison. Police would be allowed to issue a "communications stop order", following the approval from the home affairs minister, the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement. The ministry said information leaks to terrorists could endanger the lives of security officers and people caught up in the attack. The terrorist … [Read more...] about Singapore proposes new bill to bar communications from terror attack sites

The three-day program, the first ever of its kind held in Vietnam, gathers senior officers from 16 ReCAAP member countries as well as Malaysia and Indonesia. Delegates reviewed the issues of piracy and armed robbery against ships in Asia, shared specific case studies, and discussed ways to improve the maritime safety situation in Asia. In his opening speech, Major General Bui Trung Dung, Deputy Commander of the Vietnam Coast Guard, underlined that the meeting offers a good chance for law enforcement forces inside and outside the region to exchange experiences on responding to unexpected incidents and violations. At the event As the ReCAAP Focal Point in Vietnam, the Vietnam Coast Guard is willing to promptly share accurate information related to security and safety of navigation, especially information on fighting piracy and armed robbery, with the ReCAAP ISC and other ReCAAP Focal Points. Meanwhile, ReCAAP ISC Executive Director Masafumi Kuroki provided the … [Read more...] about Vietnam hosts meeting on anti-piracy information sharing

Chairwoman Ngan affirmed that the talks were a success, with two sides discussing issues related to the cooperation between the two countries and legislative bodies as well as directions for the Russian Year in Vietnam in 2020. Ngan said she and Matviyenko had agreed to assign the committees for external relations and the friendship parliamentarians' groups of the two legislative bodies to plan events for the Russian Year in Vietnam in 2020. She informed that the two sides are committed to continuing coordinating and consulting each other at multilateral and inter-parliamentary forums with a view to supporting viewpoints that are beneficial to both Vietnam and Russia as well as peace, friendship and development in the region and the world as a whole. Chairwoman of the Vietnamese National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan (L) and Chairwoman of the Russian Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko at a press conference after their talks The Vietnamese NA and the Russian … [Read more...] about Vietnamese, Russian legislative bodies’ leaders meet press on talks’ outcome

Speaking at the 34th ASEAN Summit in Bangkok, Thailand, on Sunday, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said ASEAN also needs to consider and acknowledge positive development in the negotiations for the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) between the bloc and China, according to a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Phuc said that next year, as the ASEAN chair, Vietnam would work to raise ASEAN’s status on the global stage by enhancing its links with the U.N. Vietnam was elected non-permanent U.N. Security Council member for 2020-2021 term earlier this month. China lays claim to almost the entire South China Sea, which Vietnam calls the East Sea, including waters close to Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam.  It has occupied some archipelagos illegally and created artificial islands, turning them into garrisons. On June 9, a Filipino fishing boat with 22 crew members was sunk near Reed Bank in Vietnam's Spratly … [Read more...] about Vietnam asks ASEAN to take note of threats against fishers in South China Sea