Diplomacy contributes greatly to promoting international cooperation: Deputy PM

 Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh (centre) and other leaders of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs pose for a group photo (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi (VNA) - In the period of “Doi Moi” (renewal) and international integration, diplomacy has paved the way for and developing cooperative relationships between Vietnam and other countries and territories worldwide, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh has said.

In a speech at a ceremony marking the 75th founding anniversary of Vietnam’s diplomatic sector, in Hanoi on August 27, Vietnam’s top diplomat stressed that the sector has made efforts to actively implement the strategic orientation of proactive and active international integration.

It has helped open up new markets and fields of cooperation, promote trade exchange, and attract foreign investment and other resources for socio-economic development, thus contributing to maintaining a peaceful, stable environment, safeguarding sovereignty and territorial integrity, and improving the country’s position in the international arena, he said.

In particular, the sector always upholds its pioneering role in creating the most favourable external environment for gaining and consolidating the country’s sovereignty and independence and for constructing and safeguarding the nation.

Meanwhile, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung, who is also General Secretary of the National ASEAN 2020 Committee, said Vietnam’s participation in and its contributions to ASEAN’s development has contributed to increasingly affirming the country’s role and position in the international arena.

Assessing the important benefits ASEAN brings to Vietnam, Dung said joining the bloc has brought Vietnam opportunities to promote rapid and steady development, expand relations with countries, regions, and important partners around the world, and attract more external resources for national development and international integration.

Vietnam has become an active member of not only ASEAN but also the international community, he affirmed.

The country has contributed significantly to building development orientations and making main decisions and policies in the bloc, including the ASEAN Charter, the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and relevant master plans, the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity, and the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI).

As ASEAN Chair in 2020, Vietnam has quickly decided to adjust the focuses of the bloc in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, and coordinated with other ASEAN members in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, considering this as its top priority at present.

At the same time, the country has proactively proposed and coordinated efforts for intra-bloc cooperation and between ASEAN and its partners.

According to Deputy Foreign Minister and Chairman of the State Committee for Overseas Vietnamese Affairs (COVA) Dang Minh Khoi, OV affairs have become a pillar of Vietnam’s diplomatic sector.

As many as 5.3 million Vietnamese people are living in more than 130 countries and territories worldwide, of which more than 500,000 have university degrees or higher and many are engineers and leading experts in the fields of science and technology, economics, and finance. Some have joined political systems in other countries.

Overseas Vietnamese have also invested nearly 4 billion USD in more than 3,000 investment and business projects in Vietnam, contributing to creating jobs, promoting vocational training and technology transfer, and bolstering socio-economic development, he said.

He went on to say that Vietnamese communities abroad have proactively joined the COVA and relevant agencies in implementing cultural diplomacy policies in many different forms.

With the practical and effective support of COVA, the Vietnamese language learning and teaching movement has been expanding across continents, contributing to raising expats’ awareness about the importance of maintaining the Vietnamese language, cultural identity, and national traditions, he said.

He added that Vietnamese agencies, sectors, and organisations have adopted many measures to support Vietnamese communities abroad in the context of the ongoing spread of COVID-19, which has caused financial and employment difficulties for overseas Vietnamese.

The work of the diplomatic sector has contributed to making Vietnam a friend and a reliable and responsible partner of the international community, contributing to the country’s strong and prosperous development./.