The conference heard reports on results of production and economic activities in the first six months of this year by the whole army in general and Southern units in particular.
Attentively, defense-economic zones in the southern region reached the goals to maintain political stability in border areas. Meanwhile, state-owned enterprises enjoyed good outcomes in production and business and in external economic relations and trade promotion as well.
Delegates also discussed advantages, disadvantages and proposed orientations for missions in the second half of the year.
Accordingly, more efforts should be made on production and economic development in defense-economic zones, implementation of models on production assistance, hunger elimination and poverty reduction in combination with upholding defense-security, building new lifestyle in border communes, raising cadres’ awareness of and responsibility for managing land used for defense purpose in line with law.
The same day, the MND held a press conference on the outcomes in defense-military and army building in the first half of 2017 under the chair of Lieutenant General Nguyen Trong Nghia, member of the Party Central Committee and Deputy Director of the General Department of Politics of the Vietnam People’s Army.
Since the beginning of this year, the Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defense have strongly directed the units to comprehensively implement defense-security and army building tasks. As a result, all military units have excellently accomplished their assigned missions.
Regarding the mission of doing business in combination with defense, the army now has 23 operational defense-economic zones and five others are being built. Over the past year, defense-economic units have sponsored and helped ensure stable lives for more than 100,000 households. In the Central Highlands alone, some 17,000 households have stable jobs in the defense-economic zones.
Answering reporters’ queries on rearranging military enterprises, Major General Vo Hong Thang, Director of the Economic Department of the MND said the project on rearrangement of military enterprises was submitted to the Prime Minister for approval. Enterprises in charge of trade, services and building and those less engaged in national defense missions will be equitized.
Thang also added that no priority has been given to military enterprises and they have the same rights as civilian ones.
Regarding collection of martyrs’ remains, Gen. Nghia underscored that the Party, State and army always pay much attention to supporting national contributors, especially the mission of search and collection of martyrs’ remains from all battlefields.
Gen. Nghia added that the MND has actively coordinated with involved countries in the war in Vietnam in seeking information about the martyrs and their remains and asked Laos and Cambodia to support the mission. In return, Vietnam has done its best to seek foreign servicemen missing in action in the war in Vietnam.
Gen. Nghia also stressed that the army’s relevant units have promptly, responsibly conducted the mission and gained important results. They have a high sense of responsibility for searching and collecting fallen soldiers’ martyrs at Tan Son Nhat International Airport.
Translated by Mai Huong