Political Headlines January 16 PM lauds Egyptian ambassador's contribution to relations Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung praised the departing Egyptian Ambassador, Mohamed Reda Kamel El-Taify, for his fostering co-operation between the two countries, especially in economics and trade.   Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung meets Egyptian Ambassador, Mohamed Reda Kamel El-Taify in Ha Noi yesterday. Meeting the outgoing diplomat yesterday (Jan 15), Dung underscored that Viet Nam attaches much importance to co-operation with Egypt for mutual benefit and development of both countries. He added that he hoped the ambassador would continue exerting efforts to further cooperation between Viet Nam and Egypt. Ambassador Kamel El-Taify noted that his country was keen to boost ties with Viet Nam, especially in economics and trade. PM urges more efforts to tackle ethnic poverty Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has asked the Committee on Ethnic Minority Affairs to exert more efforts for poverty reduction in ethnic communities during the 2016-20 period. Speaking at a meeting held yesterday to review the committee's 2013 work and commence its 2014 mission, Dung asked the committee to continue programmes and policies to reduce poverty. Key tasks for this year included actively assisting with the needs and concerns of ethnic communities, he said. Also, it was essential to find ways to increase investments and improve the living conditions of ethnic people, focusing on providing them with support in housing, electricity, safe water, health care and infrastructure development. Dung stressed the Party and State attached great importance to work relating to ethnic affairs and had mapped out numerous preferential policies in favour of ethnic communities. Thanks to joint efforts, work with ethnic communities has progressed positively, he said, but ethnic people were still faced with difficulties, such as high poverty rates, poor access to health services and undeveloped infrastructure. According to the committee's report, a number of priority policies for ethnic minority groups were put into place in 2013 to help improve the lives of members of these communities. Viet Nam pledges to use ADB funding effectively Viet Nam is committed to using loans provided by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to develop the nation's economy, said Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung. Further, Viet Nam would arrange for the country's contribution of capital and speed land clearance to help disburse the loans from ADB, he said, while receiving visiting ADB President Takehiko Nakao yesterday. The Vietnamese Government appreciates ADB's assistance in providing capital, policy consulting and, particularly, the bank's assistance, worth more than US$13 billion, which is contributing to Viet Nam's poverty reduction, Dung said. Also, the Prime Minister urged the bank's chief to remain involved in the co-operation between ADB and Viet Nam and continue granting Viet Nam with future assistance. For his part, the ADB president proposed Viet Nam continue speeding the disbursement of ADB capital and affirmed that ADB was willing to support Viet Nam in infrastructure development, particularly transport infrastructure, energy and health care, as well as in restructuring State businesses. He added that the bank would continue to work closely with Viet Nam and hailed the Vietnamese Government's support in co-operation with ADB, as well as the country's poverty reduction efforts.      Ministry of Public Security urged to follow Uncle Ho President Truong Tan Sang has asked the Ministry of Public Security to increase its officials' awareness of President Ho Chi Minh's teachings. He made the request yesterday at a conference hosted by the Ministry's Party Central Committee to review the implementation of the Politburo's Directive 03 to continue studying and following President Ho Chi Minh's moral example. Suitable mechanisms should be put in place to allow members of the public to supervise the interpretation of Ho Chi Minh's teachings by officials, he said. Sang also underlined the gratitude the Party, State and people of Viet Nam had for the loyalty and sacrifices made by generations of public security officers during the revolution. According to a report by Deputy Secretary of the Party Central Committee and Standing Deputy Minister of Public Security, Dang Van Hieu, the sector had made a number of important achievements in the three years since Directive 03 was issued. Outstanding individuals had been recognised for their bravery and determination in the fight against crime, but 41 officers had been killed in the line of duty while 477 had been injured. Their work to ensure national security and maintain social order and safety as well as political stability had contributed to maintaining a peaceful environment for national development, the report said. However, the report went on to outline some of the shortcomings that remained in the field, with some cases of officers violating regulations. On the occasion, the President presented the "Hero of the People's Armed Forces" award to two public security agencies and a Military Exploit Order Second Class to General Tran Dai Quang, Minister of Public Security. Northwestern region asked to up investment attraction The northwestern region needs to strongly advertise its strength and promote trade activities abroad in order to attract foreign investment, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has said. The Deputy PM, who heads the Steering Committee for the Northwestern Region, made the demand at a January 15 conference reviewing the committee’s work in 2013 and setting tasks for 2014 in the regional province of Son La. He told regional provinces to collaborate more closely with authorised agencies to devise effective measures so as to ensure security and order in the region, as well as national sovereignty. The steering committee and provinces should hasten to restructure the agricultural sector and build new-style rural areas, as well as develop industrial and economic zones, he argued. Meanwhile, they also need to overhaul existing policies for nomadic ethnic groups to help settle their lives, he said, asking for the intensified application of science and technology. Deputy head of the steering committee Truong Xuan Cu reported that the region’s gross domestic product rose by 9.4 percent in 2013, and per capita income was up some 3 million VND (143 USD) from 2012 to 21.5 million VND (1,024 USD). The rate of poverty-stricken households witnessed a yearly decrease of 3 percent to stand at 22.5 percent. The region collected over 21 trillion VND (1 billion USD) in taxes for the State budget last year, a year-on-year increase of 18 percent. Educational facilities have been upgraded with 64 percent of classrooms built permanently. At the same time, 36.1 percent of regional communes have met national standards on healthcare, 3.7 percent higher than 2012, Cu said. Provinces have ensured political security, social order and safety along with the stability of situation along areas sharing borderlines with Laos and China. They have also institutionalised the Ordinance on Religions and Beliefs and the guidelines of the Party’s Central Committee so as to favour local religious practices, he added. At the conference, representatives of the State Bank of Vietnam, ministries and provinces like Dien Bien, Ha Giang and Tuyen Quang raised suggestions for the regional socio-economic development. On this occasion, the steering committee presented certificates of merit to 12 collectives and individuals who have made great contributions to the region’s development. 64 years of Vietnam-China relations marked in HCM City The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO) and HCM City’s Vietnam-China Friendship Association hosted a January 15 ceremony to celebrate the 64th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic ties and welcome lunar New Year Festival. Speakers at the event recounted the details and events leading up to the establishment of ties 64 years ago, marking a milestone in the history of Vietnam-China relations. In recent years, a consolidated Vietnam-China comprehensive strategic partnership has significantly contributed to increased political exchanges and economic, trade and investment cooperation. Over the past year, the fine relations between the VUFO, the Vietnam-China Friendship Association and the Chinese Consulate General in HCM City have helped further strengthened links between the city and Chinese localities. The Chinese Consul General in HCM City expressed his pleasure that two-way trade now exceeds US$60 billion, adding that the two nations are striving to lift the figure to US$100 billion by 2017. He also suggested the two sides could deepen their ties by sharing of experience in Party building and state management. VNN/VOV/VNS/VNA