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Party General Secretary and President To Lam and his wife leave New York for Havana, beginning a state visit to Cuba at the invitation of Miguel Diaz Canel Bermudez, First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of Cuba. (Photo: VNA)

Top Vietnamese leader begins Cuba visit

A high-ranking delegation of Vietnam led by Party General Secretary and President To Lam left New York on September 25 for a state visit to Cuba at the invitation of Miguel Diaz Canel Bermudez, First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of Cuba.

This state visit to Cuba by To Lam marks a significant moment in history, serving as a strong testament to the special fraternal friendship that has flourished between the two countries for the past 65 years. The bilateral relationship is regarded as a valuable asset by both parties, states, and peoples of the two countries, cited VOV.

Earlier, the Vietnamese leader carried out a number of activities within the framework of the High-Level Week of the 79th UN General Assembly in New York, including his addresses at the UN Summit of the Future, the General Debate of the UN General Assembly, alongside meetings with world leaders, leaders of international organizations, and CEOs of leading US corporations.

Vietnam prioritizes strengthening relations with WB: top leader

Vietnam always prioritizes strengthening and consolidating relations with the World Bank (WB), affirmed Party General Secretary and State President To Lam during his reception for WB President Ajay Banga in New York on September 25 (local time).

At the reception, Vietnam is one of the WB’s especially important partners, Banga said, while expressing his impression on the country’s changes over the past two decades, especially the way Vietnam has joined and continuously enhanced its position and role in the global supply chain.

In the coming time, he proposed the two sides continue promoting cooperation to improve the infrastructure system of waterway, road and railway, especially in the Mekong region, accelerate the sustainable energy transition and spread Vietnam's success in low-emission rice farming.

The Vietnamese leader highly valued the bank’s role in promoting poverty reduction and handling global challenges, and its strategic vision “To create a world free of poverty – on a livable planet”, saying it is a foundation to open up new development cooperation programmes focusing on sustainable development and green transition.

Lam affirmed Vietnam always prioritizes strengthening and consolidating relations with the WB, suggesting the bank continue to support resources for Vietnam to implement potential, key and breakthrough projects, associated with renewing the growth model, restructuring the economy, promoting energy transition and climate change response, improving the economy's resilience to fluctuations, risks, and unpredictable changes in the international environment, according to VNA.

Party General Secretary and State President To Lam (R) and WB President Ajay Banga (Photo: VNA)

The leader expressed his belief that under the leadership of the WB President, the financial institution will complete its historic mission, and continue to effectively support developing countries in realizing sustainable development goals.

Agreeing with Lam’s proposals, Ajay affirmed the priority to allocating large capital resources to Vietnam, with focus on key projects in priority areas proposed by the Vietnamese top leader.

Ajay said he hopes to return to visit Vietnam soon to promote further development of cooperation between the two sides, for the development of Vietnam in particular and the Asian region in general.

Vietnam sets up diplomatic relations with Malawi

Malawi became the 194th country that Vietnam has set up diplomatic relations with.

Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son and Malawian Minister of Foreign Affairs Nancy Tempo on September 23 witnessed the signing of a joint communique establishing the diplomatic relations between the two countries in New York, the U.S. on the sidelines of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly.

Speaking at their meeting following the signing ceremony, Bui said this is a historic milestone in bilateral relations.

He suggested that both sides carry out delegation exchanges and hold bilateral meetings via all channels to promote mutual understanding and political trust while expanding cooperation opportunities, VGP reported.

Representatives from Vietnam and Malawi sign a joint communiqué on establishing diplomatic relations between the two countries at the headquarters of the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to the United Nations, New York, the United States, September 23, 2024

Vietnam is willing to share its development experience with Malawi, especially in the areas of its strength like economic development, reform and international integration, agriculture, fisheries and education, said the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister

The Southeast Asian country stands ready to work alongside the African country to seek funding from third parties such as the Food and Agriculture Organization and the European Union for trilateral agricultural cooperation projects in Malawi.

In reply, Nancy Tempo held that the Vietnam – Malawi ties have officially entered a new page, and expressed her willingness to foster collaboration in all areas with Vietnam.

Vietnam attends ASEAN Defense Senior Officials’ Meeting in Laos

Deputy Defense Minister Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien led a Vietnamese delegation to attend the ASEAN Defense Senior Officials' Meeting (ADSOM) in Vientiane, Laos, on September 25.

In his opening remarks, Lieutenant General Somphone Mittaphone, Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Lao People's Army, appreciated the support from other ASEAN member countries for Laos as Chair of the bloc this year.

He said the theme of the ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2024 – "ASEAN: Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience", as well as the theme of the ASEAN Defense Ministers' Meeting (ADMM) and the ADMM+ this year – "ASEAN: Together for Peace, Security and Resilience" emphasize Laos' commitment to promoting peace and security in the region.

Deputy Defense Minister Senior Lieutenant General Hoang Xuan Chien speaks at the ASEAN Defense Senior Officials' Meeting in Vientiane, Laos, on September 25 (Photo: VNA)

At the ADSOM, heads of the delegations extended sympathies for Vietnam, Laos, the Philippines, Thailand and Myanmar on the losses caused by Typhoon Yagi, hoping that the countries will soon overcome the consequences of this devastating storm.

The meeting listened to reports on the outcomes of the ASEAN Defense Senior Officials' Working Group (ADSOM WG), the 17th Annual Meeting of the Network of ASEAN Defense and Security Institutes (NADI-17) and the 21st ASEAN Chiefs of Defense Forces Meeting (ACDFM-21), along with defense cooperation among the member states, cited VNA.

Regarding the ASEAN Military Intelligence Community (AMIC) initiative, proposed by Vietnam and approved at the ACDFM, Chien said that Vietnam will organize the first AMIC leaders' meeting in Hanoi this November to implement the initiative, and it hopes that ASEAN countries will participate in this conference.

During the meeting, heads of the ASEAN delegations also approved and agreed to submit new initiatives to the ADMM. They also reached consensus on the draft ADMM joint statement and discussed the preparations for the ADSOM+, ADMM and ADMM+, as well as the observership programme for the 2024-2027 cycle.

On the sidelines of the ADSOM, Deputy Minister Chien had bilateral meetings with Lao Deputy Defense Minister Senior Lieutenant General Vongkham Phommakon, Lieutenant General Somphone Mittaphone, and heads of the delegations from Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia to discuss Vietnam's defense ties with the countries.

EU expects to soon upgrade relations with Vietnam

The European Union and Vietnam should upgrade their relations soon, laying the foundation for deeper, more substantive, and effective cooperation across all fields in the coming time.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made the proposal during her meeting with General Secretary and President To Lam of Vietnam in New York on September 24 on the sidelines of the general debate of the 79th UN General Assembly.

She highlighted Vietnam’s achievements in socio-economic development and international integration, and affirmed that Vietnam is one of the key partners of the EU in implementing its strategy for cooperation with the Indo-Pacific region.

To Lam for his part congratulated Ursula von der Leyen on her reelection as President of the European Commission for the 2024-2029 term, and thanked the European Commission for its support and encouragement to the Vietnamese people in overcoming the aftermath of Typhoon Yagi, VOV reported.

Party General Secretary and President To Lam of Vietnam and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen meet on the sidelines of the general debate of the 79th UN General Assembly, in New York on September 24.

He emphasized the need for both sides to increase visit exchanges and effectively utilize existing cooperation/dialogue mechanisms. He welcomed the EU’s active role in the Asia-Pacific region and affirmed that Vietnam is ready to promote EU cooperation with other countries in the region through the ASEAN-EU Strategic Partnership framework.

To Lam appreciated the outcomes of the Vietnam-EU Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) after nearly four years of implementation, which he said has created a new impetus for bilateral trade. The enforcement of the EVFTA has positioned Vietnam as the largest trading partner of the EU in ASEAN, while the EU has become Vietnam’s fourth-largest trading partner. EU investments in Vietnam have also risen considerably, with the EU currently the fifth-largest investor in the Southeast Asian state.

The Vietnamese leader suggested that both sides continue to effectively implement the EVFTA, prioritizing the removal of barriers to market access for goods, including the prompt lifting of the yellow card imposed by the European Commission and ongoing support for Vietnam in combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Among other things, he proposed that both sides enhance cooperation in defense, security, and combating transnational organized crime, particularly high-tech crime. He encouraged the EU to further increase cooperation and support Vietnam in environmental protection and climate change adaptation, as well as in improving governance capabilities, and developing a green and circular economy.

Vietnam is in dire need of capital, technology and quality human resources to fulfill the net-zero commitment by 2050, effectively implement the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) commitment, and adapt to new EU regulations on environmental sustainability, said the Vietnamese leader.

Acknowledging To Lam’s proposals, Von der Leyen affirmed that the EU will closely coordinate with Vietnam to effectively implement existing agreements and exchange mechanisms to ramp up cooperation in key areas such as politics-diplomacy, trade-investment, defense-security, development cooperation, education-training, innovation, and cultural exchanges.

She pledged to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam to address global challenges, enhance support for Vietnam in environmental protection and climate change adaptation, effectively implement the JETP deal, and cooperate within the framework of the Global Gateway Initiative.

With regard to the East Sea issue, both sides agreed on the importance of resolving disputes through peaceful means in accordance with international law, particularly the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), contributing to ensuring security, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight, as well as reinforcing peace, stability, and prosperity in the region.

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