Deputy PM highlights diplomatic achievements

The sector has helped maintain a peaceful and stable environment conducive to national development and deepened external relations in a practical and effective manner.

Viet Nam continued consolidating and enhancing special ties with Laos, traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation with Cambodia, and solidarity, friendship and cooperation with socialist countries and traditional friends.

Noticeably, the country established strategic partnership framework with almost all major countries in the region and the world. Over the past five years, Viet Nam set up strategic partnership with eight out of total 15 strategic partners and comprehensive partnership with three out of ten.

Diplomatic activities have made active contribution to the realization of socio-economic development goals. Viet Nam become increasingly proactive in joining free trade agreement (FTA) talks, signed three FTAs with the Republic of Korea, the Eurasia Economic Union, and the European Union, sending the total number of FTAs to 11.

Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) members, including Viet Nam also completed talks in October this year while the country continued participating in the regional comprehensive economic partnership agreement (RCEP).

As of mid 2015, Viet Nam established trade and economic with more than 224 countries and territories, attracting over US$250 billion in foreign direct investment.

During the past five years, 36 more partners officially recognized Viet Nam’s market economy status, raising the total partners to 59.

Economic integration has helped expand and diversify export markets; lure investment, official development assistance, and tourists to the Southeast Asian country.

The diplomatic activities also contributed to firmly maintaining national sovereignty and security. Viet Nam and China signed an agreement on free navigation of boats at the Bac Luan river mouth and an agreement on basic principles guiding the settlement of sea-related issues.

Viet Nam and Laos completed the project on upgrading the border marker system while land border demarcation and landmark planting work between Viet Nam and Cambodia continued advancing.

For the complicated changes in the East Sea, the diplomatic sector has seriously followed the guidelines of the Party and State, flexibly using political-diplomatic measures and all dialogue and contact channels to resolutely protect sovereignty and territorial integrity, taking advantage of all opportunities to reduce tensions, restore trust, boost friendly cooperation, and strive for dialogues in order to seek basic and long-term solutions to the East Sea issue.

Over the past years, the East Sea issue became part of numerous declarations and documents of many multilateral organizations and forums like ASEAN, EAS, G-7, the EU among others.

Last but not least, the diplomatic activities have elevated Viet Nam’s position as the country shifted from “active participation” to “proactive contributions to the building of common rules”.

Viet Nam hosted the 132 Assembly of the International Parliamentary Union, elected to the UN Human Rights Council for the tenure 2014-016, to the UN Economic and Social Council for the tenure 2016-2018, to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for the tenure 2013-2017, and joined the UN peace-keeping operation for the first time./.

By Huong Giang