Socialist Republic of Vietnam

(VNA) A high-ranking Vietnamese delegation has attended activities of the 19th APEC Leaders’ Week, reflecting the country’s unceasing increase of strength and power after 25 years of renewal, said Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh.

Minh said that implementing the proactive and comprehensive international integration policy of the 11th National Party Congress of Vietnam has made practical contributions to enhancing APEC economic links, and also contributed to negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement.

The FM said Vietnam has played an active role in the APEC Leaders’ Week through discussions and contributions to documents to boost consensus on major cooperative issues, especially the Bogo trade target, implementing APEC’s new strategies on economic restructuring, enhancing connectivity and expanding trade, as well as coping with natural disasters and improving energy security.

At the APEC Leaders Meeting and dialogues with businesses, the Vietnamese State President affirmed that Vietnam’s development is always attached to that of Asia-Pacific and APEC.

APEC economies and businesses highlighted and supported Vietnam’s determination to pursue renewal and its efforts to stabilise the macro-economy, conduct economic restructuring, curb inflation and create favourable conditions for foreign companies to invest and conduct business in Vietnam, Minh said.

He said Vietnam proposed a number of specific measures to boost APEC cooperation and connectivity, including efforts to narrow the development gap, support sub-regional cooperation programmes, poverty reduction and Mekong sub-regional cooperation projects.

APEC members praised Vietnam’s proposals to enhance APEC contributions to international efforts on the United Nations Green Economy Initiative.

The meeting’s documents acknowledged Vietnam’s proposals on the need to pay proper attention to the diversity, development level and different legal systems of its members in implementing cooperative programmes, Minh said.

The meeting also applauded Vietnam’s selection as host of the sixth APEC Human Resources Development Ministerial Conference in 2014.

During the 19th APEC Leaders Week, the President and his entourage held bilateral meetings with a number of Heads of State and leaders of APEC economies, including the US President and Secretary of State, the Chinese, Russian, Chilean, and Peruvian presidents and the Australian Prime Minister. In particular, this was the first time 11 leaders of the Southern Pacific states were received by the Vietnamese President.

All partners voiced their support for Vietnam’s renewal policy and broader international integration, affirmed their efforts to promote bilateral cooperation and friendship and agreed to deepen the partnership in various fields.

At the meetings, leaders and countries agreed on measures to bolster bilateral cooperation between Vietnam and regional key partners, especially in economics, trade and coordination in international and regional issues of mutual concern and within the framework of APEC and other multilateral forums.

On this occasion, Vietnam signed a free trade agreement with Chile, marking a new period in the two countries’ relations and also signed an agreement on cooperation and mutual assistance between customs agencies with Peru.

The efforts of the Vietnamese delegation at the 19th APEC Leaders’ Week have contributed to the success of the week, raised the country’s international position and deepened the country’s relations with regional partners, Minh said./.