VN, Philippines discuss ways to deepen, broaden strategic partnership
VGP – Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Pham Binh Minh and Philippines’ Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Lopez Locsin co-chaired the 9th meeting of the Viet Nam-Philippines Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation in Manila, the Philippines on March 6.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Pham Binh Minh and Philippines’ Secretary of Foreign Affairs Teodoro Lopez Locsin in Manila, the Philippines on March 6, 2019 |
Minh conveyed Vietnamese leaders’ invitation to President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to visit Viet Nam while Locsin conveyed invitation to Vietnamese Party General Secretary and State President Nguyen Phu Trong to visit the Philippines.
The two FMs expressed pleasure that defense and security ties have been strengthened in an increasingly practical manner through information and experience exchanges as well as bilateral defense policy dialogues and consultations.
Both sides vowed to continue fostering cooperation in search and rescue at sea and in combatting terrorism, piracy, transnational crime, especially drug-trafficking.
The pair also agreed to take stronger measures to boost economic cooperation in a bid to maintain two-way trade growth of above 20% annually.
Viet Nam stands ready to be long-term and stable rice provider for the Philippines with competitive prices.
The pair sign the meeting Minutes and five-year Plan of Action for the 2019-2024 period to implement the Viet Nam-Philippines Strategic Partnership |
Viet Nam has played increasingly positive role in regional and international issues, according to the Philippine side.
The two sides pledged to continue close collaboration at multilateral forums and work with other ASEAN members to beef up ASEAN solidarity and centrality over security and strategic issues in the region.
Vietnamese side voiced strong support for the Philippines to well fulfill its role as the coordinator of the ASEAN-China relations meanwhile the Philippine side affirmed to back Viet Nam’s role as the ASEAN Chair in 2020.
Sharing their concerns over the recent developments in the East Sea, the two diplomats emphasized the strategic importance of ensuring peace, security and safety of navigation and aviation in the East Sea, peacefully settling disputes, exercising self-restraint, avoiding further complicating the situation and militarization, respecting international law and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea as well as diplomatic and legal processes, fully implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and concluding a practical and effective Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).
After the meeting, Minh and Locsin signed a five-year Plan of Action for the 2019-2024 period to deploy the Viet Nam-Philippines Strategic Partnership.
The Plan of Action comprehensively maps out specific commitments we will undertake jointly in the political, security, economic, and cultural spheres, as well as in other various areas.
The same day, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Minh paid courtesy call on Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.
Duterte stressed the importance of the strategic partnership with Viet Nam, spoke highly of the outcomes of the 9th meeting of the Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation, considering it as a top mechanism to further deepen and broaden bilateral cooperation for the benefits of the two nations./.
By Quang Minh