Vietnam - Korea issue Joint Statement for common prosperity

Vietnam and South Korea agreed to strengthen cooperation to improve development efficiency and expand development cooperation between the two countries.

At the invitation of President of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam Truong Tan Sang, President of the Republic of Korea Park Geun-hye paid a state visit to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam from September 7-11. During the visit, President Park Geun-hye held talks with President Truong Tan Sang, met with General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Sinh Hung.

President Truong Tan Sang and President Park Geun-hye had an in-depth exchange of views on issues of mutual concern, including the Vietnam-Korea bilateral relationship, the situation on the Korean Peninsula, the region and the world. The two sides agreed to strengthen their cooperative partnership for common prosperity and work for the happiness of the people of the two countries.

President Truong Tan Sang and South Korean President Park Geun-hye (left)

1. Assessment of bilateral relations

The two sides expressed satisfaction with the remarkable development of bilateral relations in all fields of politics, economy, society, culture and people-to-people exchange since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992. The two sides agreed to promote the Vietnam-Korea strategic cooperative partnership established in 2009 to develop more substantially and continue to coordinate closely not only on bilateral issues but also on issues facing the international community.

2. Substantial development of strategic cooperative partnerships

2.1. Strengthening political-security cooperation:

2.1.1. The two sides agreed to make efforts to periodically organize high-level talks in the form of bilateral visits or contacts on the occasion of multilateral conferences; further promote high-level personnel exchanges between the Parties, Governments and National Assemblies of the two countries.

2.1.2. The two sides agreed that the Diplomatic-Security-Defense Strategic Dialogue held in Hanoi in March 2011 and in Seoul in August 2013 contributed to enhancing understanding and strategic trust between the two countries and agreed to continue to periodically organize this Dialogue mechanism.

2.1.3. The two sides considered the first Defense Policy Dialogue held in Hanoi in March 2012 to be a useful opportunity for the two sides to exchange views on the regional security situation and defense cooperation activities between the two countries; agreed to continue to deepen defense cooperation through the second Defense Policy Dialogue scheduled to be held in Seoul in November 2013.

2.1.4. The two sides agreed to continue to strengthen cooperation in areas such as training of defense personnel, defense industry, sharing of experiences in participating in peacekeeping operations (PKO)... contributing to maintaining peace and stability in the region and the world.

2.2. Expanding Economic and Trade Cooperation

2.2.1. The two sides expressed their delight at the achievement of the target of increasing bilateral trade turnover to 20 billion USD by 2012, 3 years earlier than the target set in 2009. The two sides agreed to strive towards the target of 70 billion USD by 2020 through continuing to expand bilateral trade relations on the basis of mutual benefit. The Korean side agreed on the need to promote the export of Vietnamese goods to Korea. The two sides agreed to actively seek and implement practical measures to expand bilateral trade in a more balanced direction.

2.2.2. The two sides agreed on the need to promote negotiations towards the goal of signing the Vietnam-Korea Free Trade Agreement (VKFTA) at a high and comprehensive level in 2014, while taking into account the difference in development levels between the two countries.

2.2.3. The Vietnamese side highly appreciates the investment of Korean enterprises - one of Vietnam's main investment partners, which is contributing to promoting Vietnam's industrialization and export growth; affirms that it will actively make efforts to improve the investment and business environment, creating conditions for Korean enterprises to continue expanding their investment in Vietnam.

The Vietnamese side welcomed Korean enterprises to increase investment in the fields of infrastructure construction, high technology, supporting industry, manufacturing industry, etc. and expressed hope that these investments would contribute to the common development of the two countries. The two sides agreed to continue promoting the sharing of expertise on public-private cooperation and supporting enterprises of the two countries to participate in civil investment projects of the two sides.

2.2.4. The two sides highly appreciated the results of cooperation between the two countries in the financial sector in recent times, including the active participation of Korean financial companies; welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the establishment of the Representative Office of the Korean Financial Supervisory Service in Vietnam; expressed hope that this Office will play an important role in strengthening the foundation for financial cooperation between the two countries in the future.

2.2.5. The two sides highly appreciated the close cooperation in the field of labor and employment between the two countries in the past time; agreed to promote cooperation projects on policy development, support infrastructure development and improve management capacity in the field of labor and employment. The two sides believed that the Employment Permit Program implemented since 2004 has contributed to the economic development of each country; agreed to actively make efforts to soon resume the Employment Permit Program that expired in 2012.

2.2.6. The two sides highly appreciated the cooperation between the relevant agencies of the two countries in the field of using nuclear energy for peaceful purposes; welcomed the launch of the pre-feasibility study in June 2013 to study and develop a nuclear power plant in Vietnam under the Joint Comprehensive Study Proposal for Cooperation in Developing Nuclear Power for Peaceful Purposes in Vietnam (OJPP) agreed upon in 2011. The two sides believed that sharing of experience and technology in developing nuclear power from Korea would contribute to the development of Vietnam's nuclear industry. The two sides agreed to continue to cooperate to develop nuclear power in Vietnam.

2.2.7. The two sides acknowledged that the cooperation between the two countries is taking place vigorously in the fields of industrial engineering such as research and development of supporting industries, training of technical human resources in the manufacturing industry, and building technology incubators. The two sides believe that these cooperation activities are contributing to promoting the common development of the two countries.

2.2.8. The two sides welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam and the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Energy of the Republic of Korea on cooperation in the field of distribution and logistics, expressing their confidence that this MOU will enhance cooperation between the two countries in supporting businesses and sharing experiences in this field.

2.2.9. The two sides agreed to cooperate and support Korean enterprises to participate in energy infrastructure projects such as the Dung Quat oil storage project and the thermal power plant construction project in the southern region of Vietnam. The two sides also welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to promote the implementation of the Nghi Son 2 BOT thermal power plant project between the Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee and the Korea Electric Power Corporation.

2.2.10. The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in the fields of food and agricultural-fishery production and distribution, food hygiene and safety and quarantine. To this end, the two sides agreed to promote the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on comprehensive cooperation in the field of agriculture between the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Vietnam and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs of the Republic of Korea.

2.2.11. The two sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in the field of spatial data. The Korean side pledged to support the construction and expansion of the project on a nationwide integrated land information management system.

2.2.12. In order to limit economic, social and environmental damage caused by the impact of climate change, the two sides agreed to consider promoting the anti-desertification project in the Central region of Vietnam and the Vietnam-Korea friendship forestation projects.

2.3. Development cooperation

2.3.1. The two sides agreed that development cooperation contributes to the development of bilateral relations and agreed to strengthen cooperation to improve development efficiency and expand development cooperation between the two countries. The two sides agreed to make joint efforts to implement the Vietnam Partnership Document to implement the document "Busan Partnership for Effective Development Cooperation".

2.3.2. The two sides agreed that the development of science and technology plays an important role in the sustainable development of Vietnam. The two sides welcomed the signing of the agreement to establish the Vietnam Institute of Science and Technology (V-KIST) implemented under the project form of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and agreed to cooperate to make this project a successful model of development cooperation between the two countries.

2.3.3. The two sides agreed to actively promote the “Vietnam Happiness Program” - a comprehensive development project for underdeveloped areas following the model of the Korean New Village Movement - to increase income based on people's sense of ownership, build a foundation for balanced development, and contribute to the development process and Vietnam's goal of becoming a modern industrialized country by 2020.

2.3.4. The two sides highly appreciated the results of cooperation in developing transport infrastructure in Vietnam in the past time and agreed to promote cooperation between the two countries in this field in the coming time, especially through the public-private partnership (PPP) model. The two sides welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on cooperation on the project to build Ho Chi Minh City Ring Road III from Tan Van to Nhon Trach - the first PPP project using EDCF capital, and agreed to create favorable conditions for Korean enterprises to participate in this project.

2.4. Social and cultural cooperation

2.4.1. The two sides shared the importance of enhancing understanding and friendship between the people of the two countries. To this end, the two sides agreed to continue promoting cooperation in various fields such as language training, culture and arts, sports and expanding cooperation in the field of public diplomacy. The two sides agreed to further strengthen exchanges between young people - the future leaders.

2.4.2. The two sides agreed to continue to pay attention to protecting and ensuring the legitimate rights of citizens of each country currently residing in the other country; agreed to increase the necessary attention and support so that Vietnamese-Korean multicultural families can become a bridge to help people of the two countries come closer together. The two sides agreed to make efforts to promote the early conclusion of negotiations on the Agreement on Mutual Legal Assistance in Civil and Commercial Matters. The Korean side will consider measures to facilitate Vietnamese citizens entering Korea.

3. Expanding regional cooperation and in international forums

3.1. The Republic of Korea expressed concern over the nuclear tests of the DPRK and clearly stated that it will not accept the possession of nuclear weapons by the DPRK under any circumstances. In this regard, the two sides agreed that the development of nuclear weapons threatens peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, the East Asia region and the world. The two sides called on the DPRK to fully implement its international obligations and commitments, including relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, the Joint Statement at the Six-Party Talks on September 19, 2005, and become a responsible member of the international community. The Vietnamese side welcomed President Park Geun-hye's policy of "Confidence-Building Process on the Korean Peninsula" to build lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula and supported the Northeast Asia Peace Cooperation Initiative to promote cooperation and confidence-building in the Asian region.

3.2. The two sides agreed to cooperate closely at regional and international forums such as ASEAN+3, ARF, EAS, APEC, ASEM, UN... .

3.3. The two sides acknowledged the development of ASEAN-Korea relations in recent times and believed that the upgrading of ASEAN-Korea relations in 2010 had contributed to the enhancement of substantive cooperation. Vietnam agreed to cooperate closely with the Republic of Korea to successfully organize the ASEAN-Korea Special Summit in 2014 in the Republic of Korea to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of ASEAN-Korea dialogue relations.

3.4. The two sides agreed that it is necessary to strengthen Mekong-Korea cooperation in building the ASEAN community. In that sense, the two sides hope that Vietnam's hosting of the 2nd Mekong-Korea Business Forum in 2014 will contribute to strengthening civil cooperation between the two regions. The two sides agreed to continue to cooperate in building the ASEAN community, contributing to narrowing the development gap and enhancing connectivity.

3.5. The two sides emphasized the importance of maintaining peace, stability and freedom of navigation at sea and believed that all maritime disputes should be resolved by peaceful means in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The two sides agreed that this visit plays an important role in bringing the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries into a new stage of development. President Park Geun-hye expressed her deep gratitude for the warm welcome from Vietnam and respectfully invited President Truong Tan Sang to visit Korea at a convenient time. President Truong Tan Sang sincerely thanked and happily accepted the invitation./.

According to vov.vn - LT