“Vietnamese diplomacy must take the lead in a changing world context”
According to Deputy Minister Bui Thanh Son, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in the process of shaping economic diplomacy for development or diplomacy for development.
| Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son. (Photo: Lam Khanh/VNA) |
Immediately after the closing session, Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son answered the press about the results of the Conference.
- Mr. Deputy Minister, the 30th Diplomatic Conference is an important milestone in the development of the Diplomatic sector. Could you please tell us about the significance and important results of this Conference?
Deputy Minister Bui Thanh Son:This year marks the 73rd anniversary of the establishment of the Diplomatic Service since the birth of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. This is modern diplomacy, the diplomacy founded and trained by President Ho Chi Minh.
The 30th Diplomatic Conference was held right in the middle of the 12th National Party Congress. With that historical time and milestone, the Conference set the goal of reviewing and re-evaluating the developments in the world, region and the country over the past two years, since implementing the foreign policy of the 12th National Party Congress.
The rapid changes in the current world and regional situation have affected the implementation of foreign policy; maintaining a peaceful, stable, developing environment, and enhancing the country's position in recent times...
In that context, it is necessary to find measures and policies to successfully complete the foreign policy set forth by the 12th Party Congress as well as the tasks set for the Diplomatic sector after the 12th Party Congress and after the 29th Diplomatic Conference in 2016.
The results achieved over the past two years have been highly appreciated by the highest leaders of the Party and State, considering these achievements a bright spot, contributing to the country's overall achievements in implementing foreign policy in particular and implementing the Resolution of the 12th National Party Congress in general.
- How did the conference identify the key priorities of the Diplomatic sector in the coming time to successfully implement the Resolution of the 12th Party Congress?
Deputy Minister Bui Thanh Son:This is a historic milestone of the 30th Conference with the participation of over 700 delegates, especially all Heads of Vietnamese representative agencies abroad and diplomatic staff. With a creative and proactive format, we have organized many different working sessions to enhance close coordination and collaboration between ministries, branches and agencies participating in foreign affairs for development.
At the same time, we also organized various meetings to gather opinions from the business community and localities participating in international integration work. Diplomacy is focusing on diplomacy for development. With that spirit, this Conference discussed in detail the international and regional situation, thereby setting out a number of key tasks in the coming time.
Firstly, in the context of the current rapidly changing and complex world situation, Vietnamese diplomacy must take the lead and actively contribute to maintaining a peaceful and stable environment for the country, promoting internal strength and mobilizing external resources to best serve the country's development.
Second, research, consulting and forecasting work contributing to the Party, State, Government and relevant ministries and branches in implementing socio-economic development tasks is very important; there must be the most accurate and feasible contributions to policy making and foreign affairs activities in the coming time.
Third, the most powerful implementation is economic diplomacy to serve national development.
At the Plenary Session chaired by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, the Prime Minister gave very specific instructions on economic diplomacy and diplomacy for development; emphasizing two points. Firstly, diplomacy must shift to focusing on people and businesses, as the objects of service in the country's development process. Secondly, it is necessary to combine all channels of Party diplomacy, people's diplomacy, State diplomacy with national defense, security, and forces in foreign affairs to create the most comprehensive strength to maintain a peaceful and stable environment, serving the country's development in the coming time.
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| " Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc speaks at the conference. (Photo: Lam Khanh/VNA) |
Citizen protection work, mobilizing the overseas Vietnamese community to closely connect with the homeland and the Fatherland, not only contributes to the development of friendly relations between Vietnam and its partners but also directly contributes to the development process of the country in the coming time.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has put forward a specific work program to improve and build the Ministry of Foreign Affairs apparatus in the coming time in a direction that is both streamlined and effective, while meeting the requirements of development. In addition, it is necessary to build a human resource apparatus from the stages of recruitment, training and development.
The use of staff requires specific planning to have the best diplomatic staff, responding to the new situation. These tasks aim to ensure the construction of a diplomatic system that is both formal and professional; at the same time, gradually modernized, serving the propaganda of foreign policies, promoting the country and people of Vietnam to friends around the world.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs needs to build the infrastructure of its overseas representative agencies on par with a Vietnam with over 100 million people, which is developing strongly and has a position and prestige in the international arena.
- In the context of Vietnam's deep international integration, can the Deputy Minister tell us how "Diplomacy for Development" will contribute to the country's socio-economic development?
Deputy Minister Bui Thanh Son:Within the framework of the Conference, a plenary session was held, chaired by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, with the theme “Promoting diplomacy for development in the period of deep international integration”. Before that, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also held a separate meeting with over 400 leading Vietnamese enterprises to gather more opinions. In short, economic diplomacy for development or diplomacy for development, both aspects of which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is in the process of shaping.
The implementation of diplomatic activities for development has been carried out for a long time, but up to now, it has become more and more systematic and formal, especially under the direction of the Prime Minister from the 29th Diplomatic Conference, followed by the 30th Diplomatic Conference, focusing on a number of tasks that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been and is carrying out.
One is the work of researching, consulting and providing updated information to the business community about the market situation of countries around the world. With the advantage of the Foreign Affairs sector having representative offices in most countries around the world, these units can provide specific information about market, economic, political, security, and social developments, affecting economic cooperation between us and our partners. This is important and also the desire of the business community. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will focus on this area.
Second, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs accompanies the business community and people to break into markets where businesses still have difficulties. With the advantage of representative agencies, in particular, ambassadors and commercial counselors can approach different figures of the countries, these officials understand the area well, so they can advise and support Vietnamese businesses to enter the markets in the context of Vietnam's increasingly deep integration as it is today, the market is expanding everywhere in the world. We not only negotiate and sign free trade agreements to enter markets but also advise and help businesses penetrate the market smoothly.
Third, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs finds that the suggestions of businesses are very useful. By accompanying businesses, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will have to conduct research projects, survey information, and evaluation tables on each market to provide to the business community. Currently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is implementing daily and weekly economic news, and in the near future, statistical tables and surveys on different markets to provide to the business community.
Currently, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has directed representative agencies to implement very specific support plans. For example, when Viettel Military Telecommunications Group expanded to 10 different markets, it received strong support from Vietnamese representative agencies abroad. Other enterprises such as Vietjet Air and TH True Milk also received support in the process of expanding to the market and their operations in these markets are currently very successful. This creates trust and excitement for representative agencies, thereby better defining their obligations and responsibilities in supporting and accompanying the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the whole country to ensure the success of the country's international integration process.
- Thank you very much, Deputy Minister./.
![[Infographics] Chân dung tân Phó Thủ tướng Bùi Thanh Sơn](https://bna.1cdn.vn/thumbs/540x360/2024/08/26/ptt-bui-thanh-son-add.jpg "[Infographics] Chân dung tân Phó Thủ tướng Bùi Thanh Sơn")
