General Secretary: Developing diplomacy imbued with the identity of 'Vietnamese bamboo'

On the morning of December 14, the Politburo and the Central Party Secretariat held a national online foreign affairs conference to implement the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress.

Panorama of the conference at Dien Hong Hall, National Assembly House. Photo: baoquocte.vn

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong chaired and delivered a speech at the conference. Co-chairs included Politburo members Nguyen Xuan Phuc - President; Pham Minh Chinh - Prime Minister; Vo Van Thuong - Permanent Secretary of the Secretariat; Pham Binh Minh - Permanent Deputy Prime Minister.

Attending the conference were members of the Politburo, members of the Secretariat, members of the Party Central Committee, leaders of departments, ministries, branches, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front and socio-political organizations;...

In Nghe An, the conference was broadcast live to 23 locations with 1,268 delegates attending. At the main location of Nghe An Provincial Party Committee, Comrade Thai Thanh Quy - Member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Head of the Provincial National Assembly Delegation, Chairman of the Provincial People's Council chaired.

Also attending were comrades: Nguyen Van Thong - Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee; Nguyen Duc Trung - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; comrades of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee; leaders of the People's Council, People's Committee, Provincial Fatherland Front Committee, provincial-level socio-political organizations;...

Panorama of the conference at the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee bridge. Photo: Thanh Duy

OUR COUNTRY'S POTENTIAL, POSITION AND PRESTIGE ARE INCREASINGLY IMPROVING

After 35 years of implementing the renovation policy, Vietnam has deeply integrated into all aspects of international social life, becoming an active and responsible member of the international community. Our country has never had the foundation, potential, position and international prestige as it does today.

Currently, Vietnam has diplomatic relations with 189/193 United Nations member states, including Strategic Partnership and Comprehensive Partnership with 30 countries, including 5 permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, the entire Group of Seven (G7) and all ASEAN members.

Our Party has established relations with 247 political parties in 111 countries. The National Assembly of Vietnam has relations with the National Assemblies and Parliaments of more than 140 countries. People's friendship organizations have relations with 1,200 foreign people's and non-governmental organizations.

Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh briefed on the achievements, directions and key tasks of foreign affairs according to the Party's Resolution XIII. Photo: baoquocte.vn

At the conference, delegates were thoroughly and comprehensively informed of the Party's 13th National Congress's guidelines, policies and viewpoints on foreign affairs, especially new contents, demonstrating the development of the Party's foreign affairs thinking in the country's new development process, creating a unified awareness within the entire Party, people and army, the consensus of overseas Vietnamese and continuing to gain broad support from the international community.

The 13th National Party Congress affirmed the fundamental principles and guiding ideology of foreign affairs in the Doi Moi period: Consistently implementing an independent and self-reliant foreign policy for peace, friendship, cooperation and development, multilateralizing and diversifying foreign relations; being a friend, a reliable partner and an active and responsible member of the international community; properly handling the relationship between independence and self-reliance and comprehensive and extensive international integration. The will to be self-reliant, self-reliant and internal strength are decisive, fundamental and long-term; external resources are important.

Comrade Thai Thanh Quy - Provincial Party Secretary presided at the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee bridge. Photo: Thanh Duy

The goal of foreign affairs is determined to ensure the best national interests on the basis of the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter and international law, equality, cooperation, and mutual benefit.

One of the core tasks of foreign affairs is to build a comprehensive and modern diplomacy with three pillars: Party diplomacy, State diplomacy, and people-to-people diplomacy.

Delegates attending the conference at the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee bridge. Photo: Thanh Duy

SKILLFUL, DARE TO THINK, DARE TO DO, PROACTIVE

Speaking at the conference, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong emphasized that this conference is of special importance and can also be called a conference of historical significance, because this is the first time the Politburo and the Secretariat directly direct a national foreign affairs conference to discuss the Party's foreign affairs, State diplomacy, people's diplomacy and the entire political system.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong summarized the timeless thoughts and philosophies of our ancestors, which forever retain their value in terms of ideology and foreign policy viewpoints.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong delivered a speech at the conference. Photo: baoquocte.vn

In particular, over the past 90 years, under the leadership of the Party and President Ho Chi Minh, on the basis of creatively applying the basic principles of Marxism-Leninism, inheriting and promoting the traditions, identity of foreign affairs, diplomacy and national culture, selectively absorbing the quintessence of world culture and progressive ideas of the times, our country has built a very special and unique school of foreign affairs and diplomacy of the Ho Chi Minh era, imbued with the identity of the "Vietnamese bamboo tree", "firm roots, strong trunk, flexible branches", imbued with the soul, character and spirit of the Vietnamese people.

It is gentle, clever, but very resilient, determined; flexible, creative but very brave, steadfast, courageous in the face of all challenges and difficulties for national independence, for the freedom and happiness of the people. Solidarity, humanity, but resolute, persistent in protecting national and ethnic interests. Knowing softness, knowing firmness; knowing the times, knowing the situation; knowing oneself, knowing others; knowing how to advance, knowing how to retreat, "adapting to the situation", "tying with soft ropes and tightening with hard ropes", "softly bending with hard ropes and letting go with soft ropes".

Delegates attending the conference at the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee bridge. Photo: Thanh Duy

To contribute worthily together with the entire Party, people and army to successfully complete the goals and tasks, General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong suggested and emphasized 6 key contents for foreign affairs work in the coming time.

First of all, it is necessary to continue to regularly monitor, research, and grasp developments and situations in order to promptly have appropriate solutions in foreign affairs. Because of the rapid and complex political developments in the world in recent times, there are many issues that go beyond normal forecasts. If we do not grasp the situation correctly, we cannot keep up with the development of reality.

“The issue is to be sensitive, dare to think, dare to do, have a proactive spirit, dare to go beyond the old framework of thinking, familiar fields to have thoughts and actions beyond the national level, reaching the regional and international level. We need to build a new mindset and position for Vietnam in behaving and handling relations with other countries, bilaterally as well as multilaterally.

Delegates attending the conference at the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee bridge. Photo: Thanh Duy

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong pointed out: Our country's position and strength in important criteria such as economy, population, defense and foreign affairs are much different from 35 years ago, especially issues of Vietnam's core strategic interests that require us to express a stronger voice and a more active foreign policy stance, first of all in the region; at the same time, we must promote innovation in thinking, boldly make breakthroughs and be creative in work, find new ways of doing things, expand into new fields, seek new partners and new directions; of course, innovation must be based on maintaining the principles: certainty, caution, steadfastness in goals, and sincerity and modesty.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong also requested to continue to thoroughly grasp and properly implement the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, cooperation and development, multilateralization and diversification of relations; proactively and actively integrate deeply into the international community for the benefit of the nation and people; both cooperate and struggle; correctly apply the viewpoints on objects and partners; strengthen cooperation, continue to create a position of intertwining strategic interests between countries and our country; prevent conflicts, avoid confrontation, avoid isolation and dependence; in which the overarching goal is to maintain a peaceful and stable environment favorable for the cause of building and defending the Fatherland, carrying out strategic tasks on socio-economic development; at the same time, resolutely and persistently firmly protect the independence, sovereignty, sovereign rights, territorial integrity and legitimate interests of the country in accordance with international law.

Delegates attending the conference at the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee bridge. Photo: Thanh Duy

In ensuring a peaceful and prosperous environment, one of the key requirements is to always be persistent, calm, clear-headed, clever, and properly handle foreign relations, including issues of sovereignty and territory. “This is an extremely important task for the entire political system, in which the diplomatic sector is the vanguard,” the General Secretary emphasized.

Along with that, it is necessary to maximize all favorable factors of the country to proactively and actively participate in contributing to the construction and shaping of multilateral mechanisms; raise the level of multilateral foreign affairs; need to expand and further enhance the effectiveness of foreign affairs activities, especially economic, cultural, political, security and defense cooperation with other countries; more comprehensively and strongly implement the work of overseas Vietnamese, in accordance with the spirit that overseas Vietnamese are flesh and blood, an inseparable part and an important resource of the Vietnamese ethnic community.

Delegates attending the conference at the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee bridge. Photo: Thanh Duy

Delegates attending the conference at the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee bridge. Photo: Thanh Duy

On the other hand, it is necessary to attach great importance to and further improve the quality of strategic research and forecasting work, in order to maintain initiative in a volatile, complex, and unexpected world. To successfully complete the above tasks, with the Party's viewpoint that "cadres are the root of all work", the General Secretary noted that it is necessary to pay special attention to the work of building the organizational apparatus and training, fostering, and building a team of cadres working in foreign affairs.

“Determined to build and develop a modern Vietnamese foreign policy and diplomacy imbued with national identity, the “Vietnamese bamboo” school of diplomacy,” the General Secretary said at the end of his speech.