Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung received his New Zealand counterpart John Key on October 24 on the sidelines of the 15th ASEAN Summit in Cha-am – Hua Hin, Thailand.

Deputy spokesperson for the Thai Prime Minister’s Office Suphachai Jaismut has expressed the hope that Vietnam will be able to fully and effectively assume its role as ASEAN President.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and ASEAN leaders attended the ASEAN Plus One Summit, ASEAN Plus Three Summit with China, Japan and the Republic Korea and the ASEAN-India Summit in Hua Hin, Thailand on October 24.

Vietnam is willing to be a bridge that links the Czech Republic and ASEAN countries and always tries to implement recent commitments signed between the two countries’ high-ranking officials.

The current process of reconstruction of Sri Lanka, with programmes to build infrastructure and resettlement facilities, will bring numerous cooperation opportunities to the Vietnamese business community and investors, said Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong agreed that the two countries need to work out specific measures to develop bilateral ties in a more stable and sustainable manner in future.

Vietnam hopes that UN organisations will continue to support its national renewal process, and help it complete the Millennium Goals, cope with climate change and protect the environment.

Vietnam hopes it will receive strong support from ASEAN member countries in organising the bloc’s important events and the 31st General Assembly of regional parliaments (AIPA) in September 2010.

The government should improve the quality of growth if it wants to achieve the 6.5 percent GDP growth rate proposed for 2010, said National Assembly deputies meeting in Hanoi on October 23.

The Japanese deputy foreign minister, Shuji Kira, has affirmed that the new Japanese government run by the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) attaches great importance to its relations with Vietnam and hopes that the two countries will work to tighten these ties.

The Vietnam and German Ministries of Foreign Affairs on October 23 signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on implementing German Year in Vietnam and Vietnamese Year in Germany in 2010.

The Ministry of Defence will hold a seminar in Hanoi on October 29 to clarify the fighting alliance between Vietnam and Laos during the previous resistance wars, in which Vietnam sent its volunteer troops and military experts to help Laos.

At a working session of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) presided over by Tong Thi Phong, Vice Chairwoman of the Vietnam National Assembly, in Bangkok, Thailand, on October 22, delegates reached a consensus on AIPA’s support for building an ASEAN Community.

The Vietnamese delegation’s participation in the 15th ASEAN Summit aims to boost unity and solidarity among ASEAN countries and to strengthen ties between ASEAN and non-bloc partners.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem has emphasised the need to define specific priorities in coordinating work and seeking ways to mobilise resources for the purpose of building an ASEAN Community. 

Vietnam and Sri Lanka have agreed to promote cooperation in economics, trade and investment so as to raise two-way trade to US$100 million by 2012.

National Assembly deputies praised the government for its prompt measures to cushion the impact of the global economic recession on Vietnam, while discussing the government’s report on October 22.

Vietnam rejects a US House of Representatives resolution concerning freedom of the Internet in Vietnam, affirming that the information in the resolution is biased and incorrect.

The visiting Russian Minister of Industry and Trade, Viktor Borisvovich Khrischenko, praised the achievements the Vietsovpetro Joint Venture Enterprise has made in oil and gas exploitation over recent years.

The President of the Republic of Korea, Lee Myung-bak, left Hanoi on October 22, concluding his official three-day visit to Vietnam at the invitation of President Nguyen Minh Triet.

Vietnam has protested the inhumane acts by Chinese armed workers against Vietnamese fishermen, who tried to take shelter from a storm on the Paracel archipelago, said the Vietnamese spokesperson on October 21.

State President Nguyen Minh Triet has voiced support for the defence ministries of Vietnam and Myanmar to sign a military agreement as a step toward gearing up military cooperation. 

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa arrived in Hanoi on October 22 for an official three-day visit to Vietnam at the invitation of State President Nguyen Minh Triet.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung received the outgoing ambassador of the Philippines, Laura Quiambao-Del Rosario, in Hanoi on October 21. 

On October 21, State President Nguyen Minh Triet received Russia’s Minister of Industry and Trade, Victor Khristenko, who was in Hanoi for the 13th meeting of the Vietnam-Russia Inter-Governmental Committee.

Vietnam and the Republic of Korea have agreed to raise their relationship to a “strategic cooperative partnership” in the interests of the two countries and for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has reiterated that the Vietnamese Government always treasures its cooperation with the United Kingdom and pledges to create the best possible conditions for British businesses to expand investment in Vietnam for mutual benefit.

President of the Republic of Korea (RoK) Lee Myung-bak began a three-day official visit to Vietnam on October 20 at the invitation of President Nguyen Minh Triet.

Deputy Prime Minister Truong Vinh Trong received Choi Young Joo, President of the Republic of Korea (RoK) – Vietnam Friendship Association on October 20. 

Vietnam and Russia should re-examine their prioritised projects regularly in the 2009-2012 period, especially those in energy, science and technology as part of an effort to deepen their strategic partnership and bring practical benefits to their people.