Together with many other national festivities, the diplomatic sector also marks its 65^th anniversary on August 28. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pham Binh Minh granted VOV an interview on the sector’s achievements over the past 65 years.

VOV: Could you brief us on the sector’s contributions to the national development?

Mr Minh: Established 65 years ago, the diplomatic sector has made significant contributions to the cause of national construction and defence.

In the early days when the country was confronted with both domestic and foreign enemies, and President Ho Chi Minh then also acted as the first Foreign Minister, the sector tried its best to build and defend the newborn independent state.

During the resistance struggles against French colonialists and American imperialists, the sector persuaded other countries to acknowledge the Vietnamese State and mobilised international support for our struggle. It skillfully combined politics and the military to turn victories on the battlefield into victories on the negotiating table.

Successful negotiations at the Geneva Conference in 1954 helped restore peace in Indochina, and take North Vietnam on the way to socialism. At the Paris Conference in 1973 to end the American war, Vietnamese diplomats forced American imperialists to withdraw from South Vietnam, paying the way to a decisive Vietnamese victory in the spring of 1975.

After the country was reunified the diplomatic sector continued engaging in the struggle against embargos and wining international support for the country’s reconstruction. During the past 20 years of the renewal process, it actively contributed to expanding and strengthening Vietnam’s relations with international community.

Vietnam has so far established diplomatic ties with 179 countries, and economic relationships with 224 countries and territories. It has also joined many international organizations, such as ASEM, APEC and ASEAN, was a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and is now the ASEAN president. It can be said that the diplomatic sector has contributed to strengthening relations with many countries and raised Vietnam’s position in the international arena.

VOV: What diplomatic lessons has Vietnam drawn over the past 65 years?

Mr Minh: We have drawn a number of lessons. The first lesson is putting national interests, namely independence, self-reliance and sovereignty, above all and creating a peaceful and stable environment to ensure development.

The second lesson is combining the national strength with the strength of our time to rally international solidarity and support for national construction and defence.

The third lesson is closely combining the three fronts - political, diplomatic and military in the past struggle for national independence as well as the current process of national construction and defence.

The forth lesson is establishing relations with powerful countries, especially its close neighbours.

And finally is training qualified and talented diplomatic officials.

VOV: Could you tell us about Ho Chi Minh’s diplomatic thought?

Mr Minh: Generations of Vietnamese diplomats are proud of President Ho Chi Minh being the first foreign minister and his thought has been the guideline for the country’s diplomatic activities.

His thought is flexible combination between patriotism and national culture, between the traditional diplomatic and the international one, between patriotism and nationalism, between independence and sovereignty and between international solidarity and co-operation.

VOV: How does Vietnam use Ho Chi Minh’s thought today?

Mr Minh: In the current integration process, Ho Chi Minh’s thought is applied in a flexible manner. One of his major thought is to act according to circumstances, which means to stick to the principle but apply it in flexible way. Our principle is to maintain independence and sovereignty for the sake of a peaceful and stable environment. All activities are aimed towards this target. For example, when Vietnam was a UNSC member all the decisions that we agreed had to ensure a peaceful and stable environment.

VOV: What are Vietnam’s diplomatic orientations and tasks in the future?

Mr Minh: The first task is to ensure sovereignty and a peaceful and stable environment for development, create resources for the industrialisation and modernisation process, and raise Vietnam’s position and role in the world. To fulfill this task, the sector must develop Vietnam’s relationships with other countries to a new level and increase its involvement in international organisations.

The second task is economic diplomacy. The sector will strive to make use of outside resources for industrialisation and increase investment to expand exports.

Vietnam will promote its image to international friends through cultural diplomacy.

Vietnam must also protect overseas Vietnamese and encourage them to turn to their homeland and to help it with its reconstruction

These are the very important tasks that the sector will implement in the future.

VOV: Thank you very much.