Deputy prime minister and minister of foreign affairs pham binh minh

The Hanoitimes - Some member states are concerned that ASEAN’s goodwill to help would be unlikely to materialize if Myanmar doesn’t open its doors to the bloc. ASEAN member states on March 2 said they are ready to assist Myanmar which records escalating violence against protesters after the military coup in early February. Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said at the meeting on March 2. Photo: MOFA ASEAN chair’s statement issued after foreign ministers’ online meeting stated that they “expressed ASEAN’s readiness to assist Myanmar in a positive, peaceful and constructive manner.” Speaking at the meeting, the first gathering among ministers since the coup, Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said the escalating violence and casualties in Myanmar have left impact on the country and the region. He called for restraint and dialogues to ensure safety for people and bring the situation to normalcy. Minh proposed ASEAN utilizing existing regional and global cooperation mechanisms, including those by the United Nations to help Myanmar. Regional diplomats expressed their concern on the situation in Myanmar and called on all parties to refrain from instigating further violence, and for all sides to exercise utmost restraint as well as flexibility. They called for de-escalation of the situation in Myanmar and all parties concerned “to seek a peaceful solution, through constructive dialogue, and practical reconciliation in the interests of the people and their livelihood.” ASEAN's informal foreign ministers meeting on Myanmar held on March 2. Photo: MOFA ASEAN has a principle of non-interference, which was seen as a hurdle for the member states to hold a ministerial meeting on the matter. Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi told reporters after the meeting that democracy must be restored in Myanmar. Marsudi said “ASEAN met to discuss and …

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The Hanoitimes - Facilitating businesspeople is part of efforts to boost the economic relations amid global uncertainties. Vietnam and South Korea continue cooperating in coronavirus response, including relaxing coronavirus quarantine, to enhance economic ties amid the severe global health crisis. Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and South Korea’s Vice Foreign Minister Lee Tae-ho in Hanoi on December 4. Photo: Baoquocte The two countries have facilitated business travelers to resume as much as possible economic activities in the course that huge investment and trade inflows from South Korea are coming to Vietnam. As of end-2019, South Korea topped 132 countries and territories pouring money into Vietnam with US$66.6 billion. In terms of trade, Vietnam is a major trading partner of South Korea. In 2019, the two-way trade recorded US$69.2 billion, up 15.9% on-year. Since Hanoi took border control measures in March to stem the virus spread, the government of Vietnam has allowed about 18,000 business people from South Korea to enter the country via special flights approved by the Vietnamese authorities. In September, the first commercial international flight to Vietnam was from South Korea after the country halted all international flights since March. The flights were operated shortly after South Korea’s Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha visited Hanoi, making her the first foreign minister to visit Vietnam since the pandemic started earlier this year. South Korean businesspeople support the Covid-19 battle in Vietnam. Photo: Daidoanket In November, South Korea’s National Assembly Speaker Park Byeong-seug picked Vietnam for his first foreign trip since taking office in June, with a focus on economic relations. In a latest move, Vietnam has decided to exempt coronavirus quarantine to business people and their families from South Korea. South Korea is the second country …

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Mozambican Foreign Minister Verónica Nataniel made the statement during a working session held alongside Vietnamese Ambassador to Mozambique Le Huy Hoang on November 23, with the event taking place as part of activities to mark the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries. During the meeting, the Minister Nataniel stated that she hopes Vietnam will continue to share its experience that it has learned from these successes in order to help her nation make faster progress in terms of the process of regional and international integration. Minister Nataniel also expressed her great appreciation for the nation’s impressive achievements over recent years, considering the country to be a model that needs to be learned from in terms pandemic prevention and socio-economic development. She went on to affirm that the Mozambican side has always placed great importance on its relationship with the nation and hopes that both sides continue to tighten their friendship and co-operation ties across a variety of fields, especially in the exchange of experts on agriculture and education and health care. She also anticipates that the country will continue to encourage businesses in order to intensify their investment in the East African nation. She therefore suggested that both sides join hands in preparation for the fourth meeting of the inter-governmental committee, and arrange a visit to Vietnam for Mozambican President Filipe Nyusi as soon as possible. In response, Ambassador Hoang conveyed a message of congratulations from Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh to Mozambique on their achievements in its role as the Chair of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The two sides compared notes on measures aimed at boosting the bilateral traditional friendship, including the sharing of experience in terms of external affairs at regional and international forums. This comes as Mozambique gets ready to run for a …

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