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NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and diplomats in a group photo |
During a reception in Hanoi on October 1 for diplomats for the 2018-2021 tenure, the NA Chairwoman said as Vietnam is striving to run as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council for the 2020-2021 tenure and prepare for its own Chairmanship of ASEAN in 2020, the legislature must push itself in its roles as member of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Executive Committee and IPU Vice Chair for the time ahead.
At the same time, Vietnam’s NA must successfully hold the 41st session of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) 2020 and assume the position of AIPA Secretary General for the 2019-2021 tenure, she said.
She lauded the close coordination of State and parliamentary diplomacy towards improving Vietnam’s stature on the international arena, most notably the success of the 132nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in 2015, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders’ Meeting in 2017, and the 26th annual meeting of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) in Hanoi in January 2018.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs made thorough preparations, in terms of both agenda and reception, contributing to the success of meetings, she said.
The top legislator also hailed the Foreign Ministry for hosting the 30th Diplomatic Conference in August to share experience and promote the external activities of the Party and State.
On the occasion, she asked diplomats to uphold their role as a bridge to develop ties between Vietnamese and foreign legislatures via bilateral and multilateral channels.
Representative agencies abroad need to work closely with the NA Committee for External Affairs to further promote parliamentary diplomacy and facilitate the exchange of delegations at all levels, thus improving personnel capacity and mutual understanding, she said.
They were urged to learn from other countries’ experience in state management so that international friends could see Vietnam’s determination to reform itself, foster trust in the heart of overseas Vietnamese, as well as coordinate with host authorities to offer all possible support to them.
Amid several complicated developments in the world, she suggested launching more dialogue channels to fight wrongful allegations and pool support from foreign countries, contributing to safeguarding national sovereignty and interests.
Ngan expressed her hope that heads of representative Vietnamese agencies abroad will always maintain strong political will; stay absolutely loyal to the nation; improve Vietnam’s stature in political, diplomatic, economic, and cultural terms; and contribute to building the homeland.
Several diplomats said they have completed basic works before departure, including holding working sessions with ministries, agencies, and localities to grasp hold of the situation, thereby building specific action plans to fulfill assigned tasks.
According to permanent Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, there were 24 heads of overseas representative Vietnamese agencies appointed for the 2018-2021, including 16 ambassadors approved by the legislature.
Since the NA’s 14th tenure, the NA Standing Committee has approved the appointment of 67 ambassadors.
Source: VNA