Political News Headlines 24/2 Finance Minister to visit US in March A Finance Ministry delegation led by Minister Dinh Tien Dung will pay a working visit to the US from March 8-15 at the invitation of his US counterpart Secretary Jack Lew. Dung is scheduled to hold talks and meet with leaders of the US Department of the Treasury, the Federal Reserve System (FED), the World Bank (WB), and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).   He met with Sanjay Kalra, IMF chief representative in Vietnam, and Victoria Kwakwa, WB Country director for Vietnam, in Hanoi on February 21, to prepare for his upcoming visit. He said he will brief WB leaders on Vietnam’s macro-economy in 2013 and orientations in 2014, and proposed additional preferential loans from the WB to help the country improve its economic competitive capacity, protect the environment, and offer socio-economic development opportunities to the poor. Dung will update WB leaders on key cooperation projects between the two sides and suggest additional WB support for Vietnam and the Ministry of Finance in particular. He will meet with IMF Deputy Managing Director Naoyuki Shinohara to examine ways of increasing cooperation between Vietnam and international financial institutions, including the IMF. He will recommend that the IMF increase its technical assistance for Vietnam’s customs, budget management, public debt management, and personnel training.  VN promotes sustainable growth Pratibha Mehta, UN Resident Coordinator in Viet Nam, hailed the local business community, represented by the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, for their green growth initiatives. The Vietnamese government has become actively involved in many regional and global activities that promote sustainable growth, in line with its extensive national strategy. This was highlighted by Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam at a business forum on Friday, Feb 21. He pointed out that environmental protection, climate change adaptation and social security improvement will always lie at the heart of Viet Nam's sustainable development programmes. Pratibha Mehta, UN Resident Coordinator in Viet Nam, hailed the local business community, represented by the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, for their green growth initiatives. She underlined the importance of the partnership between the Vietnamese government and its businesspeople, which helps to put forth specific policies facilitating and encouraging local enterprises to make further contributions to sustainable growth. Participants discussed efficient energy usage, responses to climate change and new business models highlighting social enterprise. President Sang visits Phu Yen to shore up local living conditions President Truong Tan Sang on Saturday asked the central province of Phu Yen to conduct a survey on the need to support local fishermen and those who live in areas vulnerable to climate change.   President Truong Tan Sang visits local residents in Phu Yen Province's Phu Dong Ward on Saturday.  He made the statement during his two-day visit to the province that started last Friday. Local residents from the province's Phu Dong Ward asked the President to support a fishery logistics centre and address problems caused by landslides triggered by high tides. They also asked for the canals in the area to be dredged to facilitate the transportation of fishing vessels. The President instructed local authorities to address these problems as soon as possible to ensure the safety of people living in areas at high risks from landslides. President Sang also visited the Vung Ro oil refinery factory in Dong Hoa District where he was updated on the progress of the project by investors. The construction of the US$4 billion project began in late 2013 and the refinery is expected to begin operations in 2018. It covers an area of 538 hectares in Hoa Tam Commune and is expected to create jobs for 1,300 local workers. On the same day, the president spoke with provincial authorities and praised the major achievements the province has made in economics, politics, national defense and policy building. He said the province had chosen the right path by deciding to focus on developing industrial trees like sugarcane, rubber and cassava, as well as offshore fishing. Regarding the province's requests for judicial training, hydropower investment, natural disaster prevention and the expansion of Highway 1A, the President said the province needed to map out plans with detailed budget before any considerations were made. PM takes measures to stop wildlife trafficking Viet Nam should act firmly against trafficking in rare and endangered animals or their parts to restore the nation's tarnished reputation in wildlife protection, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has said. In a directive asking inter-sectoral forces to conduct more patrols and inspections in border areas including international airports and ports, Dung drew attention to the recent discovery of trafficking in endangered and rare wild animals including the rhino horn, African elephant tusks and tigers. He said the situation was "complicated" and has caused several negative impacts including the depletion of natural resources, increased risk of new infectious diseases and threats to national security. It has worsened the image of Viet Nam in implementing international conventions to protect wild animals, which the country has ratified, he said. He ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to educate and mobilise overseas Vietnamese to refrain from any involvement in the trade and transport of wild animals or animal parts in the countries they reside. The Ministry of Agricultural and Rural Development has been tasked with monitoring implementation of the directive, tackling ensuing problems and sending annual reports to the Prime Minister. Dung also asked mass media outlets to severely criticise all violations related to wildlife trafficking and increase the frequency of disseminating information about wildlife conservation so as to raise public awareness of its importance. Ceremony celebrates Vietnam-Sweden diplomatic ties The Vietnamese Embassy in Sweden held a ceremony in Stockholm on February 20 to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the two countries’ diplomatic ties.   Ambassador Tran Van Hinh (left); Swedish Minister for Trade Ewa Bjorling (right) (Photo: VNA) Addressing the event, Vietnamese Ambassador Tran Van Hinh thanked Sweden for its support of Vietnam over the past 45 years. Reviewing important milestones in bilateral relations, Hinh stated that regular visits and meetings by the two countries’ high-ranking leaders, especially the Vietnam visit by King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia in February 2004, have created a firm foundation for the bilateral partnership. In the past three years, two-way trade enjoyed an average annual increase of 28 percent, topping 1.1 billion USD in 2013. The diplomat also acknowledged contributions made by the community of more than 15,000 Vietnamese people living in Sweden to nurturing the two countries’ friendship. Swedish Minister for Trade Ewa Bjorling said that the two sides still hold great cooperation potential, especially in Sweden’s specialist fields of environment, climate change, urban transport and education. She expressed her hope that together with world-famous companies like Ericsson, Electrolux and Tetra Pak, more and more Swedish businesses will invest in Vietnam, confirming that Vietnamese enterprises are always welcomed in Sweden. Sweden prioritises promoting economic, trade and investment ties with other countries and its partners, she said, adding that she hopes negotiations on a free trade agreement between Vietnam and the EU will come to a successful end later this year to help boost trade exchanges between Vietnam and the EU in general and Sweden in particular. On this occasion, the Vietnamese Embassy also introduced the image of Vietnam’s land, people and culture to Swedish and international friends through art performances, an oil-painting exhibition and a Vietnamese culinary event. President urges Binh Dinh to develop fisheries, forestry President Truong Tan Sang has paid a working visit to the central coastal province of Binh Dinh to inspect the local socio-economic situation. The leader was taken on a fact-finding tour at the Tam Quan seaport in Hoai Nhon District, which is an important gateway for thousands of fishermen belonging to and from outside the locality. He then toured the Nhon Hoi economic zone to learn about its investment climate. Covering an area of 12,000 hectares, this key industrial park has attracted 34 projects worth US$1.2 billion. Binh Dinh Province is working with the Thai Oil and Gas Group to carry out a feasibility study for an oil refinery complex project in the zone. At a later meeting with local leaders, Sang acknowledged the province's achievements in achieving most of its socio-economic targets and maintaining the economic growth at a reasonable level. He acknowledged the local creativity in marine development and agreed with their solutions to build better new-design rural areas in order to give the locality a facelift. The president noted that despite investment efforts, the local infrastructure has yet to meet quality requirements. The lacklustre planning and development of transport links in the east Truong Son mountain range was an example, he said. He supported a suggestion for raising a fund to support fishermen and urged the province to enforce policies to develop fisheries and forestry further. The two-day visit ended on Friday. Vietnam, Cuba strengthen media collaboration A delegation of the Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) paid a week-long working visit to Cuba from February 14 to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the fields of telecommunication, printing and publishing. While in the country, the group, led by Deputy Minister Truong Minh Tuan, met Cuba’s Deputy Minister of Informatics and Communications, Wilfredo Gonzalez Vidal. Tuan told his host that the MIC is willing to share experience in broadening the telecommunication market and building state management in the field. He added that Vietnam is willing to send experts to Cuba to facilitate cooperation between the two countries’ businesses. Vidal spoke highly of Vietnam’s telecommunication development, expressing his hope for more investments from Vietnam into Cuba’s Mariel special development zone in the time ahead. The two sides also worked to complete the draft Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the two ministries to be signed during the forthcoming visit to Vietnam of Cuban Minister of Informatics and Communications. In a separate meeting with Rolando Alfonso Borges, a member of the Communist Party of Cuba’s Central Committee (CPC CC) and the chief of its Ideology Commission, both sides shared their experiences of managing the press and overseeing the development of the telecommunications sector. Borges said Vietnam’s experience in the field is of much importance for Cuba, as the country is adjusting its press activities in line with its international development while still following its own targets. During the visit, the MIC delegation also met with Cuban Telecommunications Company ETECSA, Minister of Culture Rafael Bernal and Cuban Book Institute President Zuleica Romay and visited the Cuba International Book Fair 2014. New Pakistani Consulate General debuts in HCM City The Pakistani Embassy on February 21 launched a Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, which is expected to help further the connectivity between the two countries. It also named Duong Quoc Thai, General Director of the Saigon Plastic Packaging JSC as Honorary Consul General. Addressing the ceremony, Pakistani Ambassador Zaigham Uddin Azam said the move will contribute to boosting future trade and cooperation between Pakistan and Vietnam, as well as HCM City in particular. Together with the embassy in Hanoi, the new Consulate General will work to accelerate the bilateral multifaceted cooperation towards a target of 2 billion USD in two-way trade by 2020, he said. Nguyen Hong Linh, Director of the HCM City Municipal Department of External Affairs spoke highly of the opening of the office, describing it as an evidence of Pakistan’s desire to foster ties with Vietnam and the city – a national economic, culture and technology hub. The new Consulate General will be an information centre for businesses that are keen on seeking investment opportunities and partnership in Pakistan, he stressed. Setting up diplomatic ties on November 8, 1972, Vietnam and Pakistan have conducted various cooperation programmes in agriculture, education-training and science-technology. The two countries are working to expand their cooperation to other fields, including information and telecommunications, finance-banking and health care. Bilateral trade has seen a sharp yearly increase of 25 percent and hit 500 million USD in 2013. Conference clarifies UNESCO conventions A conference to help journalists update their understanding on UNESCO heritage conventions took place in Hanoi on February 21. The event aimed to provide participants with more accurate information on UNESCO papers, such as the Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage. Addressing the conference, Katherine Muller-Marine, UNESCO Chief Representative in Vietnam, emphasised that the country has a number of tangible and intangible heritages recognised by the organisation. The Vietnamese Government has exerted efforts to preserve the values of UNESCO-recognised heritage sites, she stated. It is necessary to ensure a harmony between heritage development and preservation, she suggested, adding that heritage should be conserved even before it is officially recognised. The UNESCO official noted that Vietnam is confronting huge challenges in preserving heritage as well as building tours to the sites. However, the effectiveness of the heritage preservation really requires the knowledge and collaboration of experts. Delegates at the event praised UNESCO for its role in building public awareness of heritage-related issues. VNN/VOV/VNS/VNA