Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh on March 2 led a Vietnam delegation to attend a virtual Informal ASEAN Ministerial Meeting, during which he affirmed Vietnam, as an active and responsible member of the ASEAN Community, commits to working with other member states of the bloc in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. Vietnam will back and help the ASEAN Chair in 2021 to fulfill its tasks and speed up the building of the Community, he stated, stressing that boosting relations with partners, and maintaining dialogues and cooperation bear important significance for the building process. Deputy PM Minh noted that escalating violence and tensions, which have caused human losses in recent days in Myanmar, have affected peace and stability in not only Myanmar but also the whole region. He called on parties involved to restrain and avoid all violent activities, ensure safety for people, and organise peace dialogues to soon bring the situation back to normal. The Vietnamese representative recommended that ASEAN coordinate closely, promote its role, effectively use existing cooperation mechanisms and tools, including coordinating with global organisations and mechanisms such as the United Nations, to help Myanmar soon stabilise its situation, for the interests of its people and nation, and for peace and stability in the region and for solidarity and prestige of ASEAN. At the meetings, delegates discussed the progress of the implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, a plan to build an ASEAN Community Vision beyond 2025, and initiatives on pandemic response and post-pandemic recovery. They also touched upon ASEAN’s external relations, and regional and international issues of mutual concern. They agreed to press on with efforts to build the ASEAN Community, respond to the COVID-19, and effectively carry out the post-pandemic recovery plan, …
National union party
Thousands donate blood after Tet
Thousands of people have participated in the annual spring blood donation festival which is being held in Hanoi between March 1-7. Thousands donate blood after Tet The latest Covid-19 outbreak in Vietnam which started right before Tet Holiday had badly affected the blood donation activities at various places. Many events were cancelled and the blood and plasma reserves sharply dropped. The National Institute Of Haematology & Blood Transfusion and other organisations and hospitals in Vietnam have called for more donations as the situation has got better after Tet. Bach Quoc Khanh, head of the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion said after Tet, they received over 10,000 blood units in two weeks. The blood donation venues set up by the Youth Union received over 1,200 blood units. In February, the National Institute of Haematology & Blood Transfusion received nearly 19,000 blood units and provided 40,000 units to 132 medical facilities in Vietnam, including remote and mountainous areas in Ha Giang, Son La and Yen Bai. It expects to receive 35,000 units in March to meet demands. In response to the Spring Blood Donation Festival 2021, four donation spots have been set up in Hoan Kiem, Dong Da, Thanh Xuan districts and at the institute. The blood units will be quickly transferred to the storage to be used on nearly 180 patients in the northern region. Khanh said, "Whenever a call for blood donation was put out, we received supports from thousands of organisations and individuals. On the behalf of the patients, I want to express my gratitude to everyone." The organisers hoped to receive over 4,000 blood units during the seven-day event. But in the first two days alone, about 3,600 blood units have been donated. …
Austrian commerce official impressed by Vietnam’s development
Addressing a ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of Vietnam’s National Day (September 2) in Vienna on September 19, Brunner said trade between Austria and Vietnam remains stable despite the pandemic since the beginning of this year, adding that once the pandemic is under control, the two countries’ businesses will have a chance to explore each other’s markets and seek opportunities with the taking effect of the European Union - Vietnam Free Trade Agreement and the coming launch of the WKO Office in Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnamese Ambassador to Austria Le Dung highlighted Vietnam’s economic achievements and rising stature over the past years. In the first eight months of this year, trade between Vietnam and Austria reached USD 2.2 billion and Austria became the fifth largest trade partner of Vietnam in Europe. On the occasion, he also thanked the Austrian Government for creating favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community in the country. About multilateral diplomacy, Dung said Vietnam has fulfilled its role as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, ASEAN Chair 2020, and Chair of the ASEAN Vienna Committee with the task of coordinating activities of member states at multilateral forums. Cooperation between Vietnam and international organisations in Vienna has become increasingly closer. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam worked closely with and received support from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to adopt nuclear technology in the development of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, which partly helped the country effectively curb the pandemic with over 1,000 infection cases since its outbreak and mitigate community transmissions, he said. Source: VNA …
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