37th asean summit

Hanoi (VNA) – Senior officials of ASEAN member countries met online on January 19 to discuss preparations for the upcoming ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat (AMMR) that is slated for January 21. Speaking at the event, the head of SOM ASEAN of Brunei said that with the ASEAN 2021’s theme of “We Care, We Prepare, We Prosper,” Brunei hopes to build on the achievements that the association gained in 2020, with focus on the people and sustainable development, building a regional architecture ruled by law, upholding multilateralism and supporting an open multilateral trade system. Participants exchanged their ideas on work that need to be done since after the 37th ASEAN Summit and related meeting, including a mid-term report on the implementation of the ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC) Blueprint and the strengthening of inter-pillar and inter-sectoral coordination towards the building of the Post-2025 ASEAN Community Vision. They … [Read more...] about ASEAN senior officials discuss preparations for AMM Retreat

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam will support and work closely with Brunei as Chair of ASEAN in 2021 so as to successfully realise set targets and initiatives, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said when talking on the phone with Brunei Minister of Foreign Affairs II Dato Erywan Pehin Yusof on January 19. The Brunei minister congratulated Vietnam for excellently fulfilling its term as Chair of ASEAN in 2020, especially leading the bloc to overcome unprecedented difficulties and challenges. He shared the directions and priorities during the year Brunei serves as Chair of ASEAN in 2021 under the theme “We Care, We Prepare, We Prosper”, including initiatives on COVID-19 response and post-pandemic recovery which were approved in 2020, the building of a vision for ASEAN after 2025, promoting multilateral cooperation and a rule-based regional order, and people-oriented cooperative ideas. He affirmed that those priorities and initiatives are developed … [Read more...] about Vietnam pledges to support Brunei’s ASEAN Chair

Hanoi (VNA) – The Foreign Ministry held an annual meeting with the press at the Government Guesthouse in Hanoi on January 19, praising press agencies and reporters nationwide for their contributions to achievements made by the diplomatic sector in the past year. Speaking at the event, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said the sector scored important achievements amid difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. He said Vietnam successfully accomplished the roles as ASEAN 2020 Chair, Chair of the 41st General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-41) and a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the 2020-2021 tenure.  Vietnam actively led and coordinated regional efforts to overcome challenges and achieve successes in building the ASEAN Community, effectively coped with the pandemic, flexibly held over 550 online meetings, and adopted a record number of documents in a year, he said. During the … [Read more...] about Foreign Ministry hails press agencies’ contributions

>> Russia-Vietnam: Together to New Cooperation Goals >> 15 cooperation deals to be signed during Putin’s Vietnam visit President Sang made the statement in an interview with the Russian News Agency Itar Tass on the third visit to Vietnam by President Putin on Tuesday. The Vietnam-Russia Strategic Partnership was established in 2001 and then upgraded into the comprehensive strategic partnership in 2012, Sang said, adding that the firm foundation has enabled bilateral relations between the two countries to improve in both scope and scale. As regards trade, Sang suggested that the two sides exert further efforts to negotiate and have an early signing of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Vietnam and the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. Two-way trade keeps increasing, with US$2.5 billion in 2012 and $1.8 billion in the first eight months of this year, but it remains at a modest level, accounting for a small portion in the total import-export turnover … [Read more...] about Putin’s visit to take Vietnam-Russia ties to new height