Minister of foreign affairs

Jakarta (VNA) – The number of foreign tourist visits to Indonesia in January still suffered from the COVID-19 pandemic and declined by 89.05 percent compared to the same month of last year, the country’s statistics bureau (BPS) reported. The arrival numbers lowered from 1.29 million in January 2020 to 141,260 in the first month of this year. Compared with last December, the number of visitors decreased by 13.9 percent. The room occupancy rate of star-classified hotels in Indonesia was also down 30.35 percent compared to 49.17 percent recorded a year ago and 10.44 percent from the previous month. Indonesia ’s Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno said the country targets welcoming around seven million foreigners this year. To this end, the ministry will focus on completing the development of five super priority destinations, like Lake Toba in North Sumatera, Borobudur in Central Java, Mandalika in Lombok, Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara, and Likupang in North Sulawesi. The ministry will strengthen the 3A (Attractions, Amenities and Accessibility) tourism facilities, encourage investment in the tourism sector, and increase tourism promotion by optimally utilizing digital technology, Uno said. It will also implement three strategies namely innovation, adaptation, and collaboration. Vice Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Angela Tanoesoedibjo, meanwhile, said the innovation strategy will include the use of big data to design more effective and personal promotions. Her office will also innovate the products offered, such as outdoor tourism, sport tourism, health tourism, wellness tourism, and ecotourism. The second strategy is adapting CHSE-based health protocols (cleanliness, health, safety, and environment) in each tourism destination and creative economy line. This CHSE-based protocols will be the key to accelerating the recovery of tourist confidence amid the pandemic. Additionally, the country will …

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The Hanoitimes - The two countries have determined to expand their bilateral ties in the new historical conditions. The Strategic Partnership between the Russia and Vietnam is a natural result of decades-long fruitful collaboration between the two countries, according to a Russian diplomat. The Vietnam-Russia relations upgraded to strategic partnership 20 years ago. Photo: Vietnam Briefing Maria Zakharova made the statement on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the bilateral strategic partnership, saying that the relations over the past 20 years has achieved impressive results. The declaration of the diplomatic relationship, which was signed in Hanoi on March 1, 2001, materialized the Russian and Vietnamese peoples’ wish to progressively strengthen their intergovernmental relations based on many years of friendship and mutually advantageous cooperation,” Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said. She named the milestone is “historic” and marks the cooperation in a variety of fields and showed the two countries’ determination to expand bilateral ties in the new historical conditions on the basis of their rich experience of interaction accumulated over the previous period of time. Political dialog at the top and high levels has become regular. The cooperation in the trade, economic, military, military-technical, scientific, technological and humanitarian spheres has got an additional impetus. Meanwhile, inter-parliamentary and interparty exchanges as well as inter-regional contacts have become more active. “We have developed new cooperation mechanisms which enable more efficient interaction so as to find ways of solving pressing issues concerning bilateral affairs and close coordination on the international arena. It is indicative that our strategic partnership became comprehensive by mutual consent in 2012,” the spokeswoman stressed. She highlighted the solidarity and unchanging mutual support, typical in …

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The Hanoitimes - Activities including trade expos are expected to tighten economic ties between the two countries which will celebrate the 70th anniversary of diplomatic ties next year. Two-way trade between Vietnam and Russia is of great potential and Vietnamese authorities will create more favorable conditions for the investment and operations of Russian firms, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung has said. Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung. Photo: Linh Pham Vietnam and Russia trade will greatly depend on vision and determination from the both sides, especially the business communities, Dung said at the Expo-Russia Vietnam 2019 taking place in Hanoi on November 14-16. Being a member of 13 free trade agreements (FTAs), 12 of which are already effective, Vietnam has been committed to international regulations requiring high standards for goods and trade activities, Dung said, adding that FTAs will encourage foreign companies to enter Vietnam, ASEAN, and Asia as well. Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Konstantin Vnukov. Photo: VTC News The enforcement of the Vietnam-Eurasian Economic Union Free Trade Agreement (VN-EAEU FTA) is a strong boost for the Vietnam-Russia trade, he noted. Accordingly, Vietnam expects its leather and footwear, agro-forestry-fisheries, electronics and consumer goods to further penetrate into Russia and other markets in the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). Vu Tien Loc, president of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Photo: Linh Pham Meanwhile, Vietnam welcomes Russian goods like farm produce, pharmaceuticals, health, industrial equipment, automobile spare parts, devices, mine extraction, materials, high-tech products, energy, and oil. Sergey Anatolievich Tsyb, first deputy minister of Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade, said at the expo that Vietnam ranks among Russia’s top 10 Asian biggest trade partners and the biggest …

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