Political News 31/7 Vietnam, France discuss ways to boost partnership Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh on July 30 had a telephone talk with French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, during which they agreed on a number of measures to further forge the Vietnam-France strategic partnership. The two countries will increase delegation exchange of all levels, while expanding their cooperation in various areas of economics, defence, construction, energy, education and training, and culture, they concurred. The two sides also lauded the success of the Vietnamese Culture Year in France . Deputy PM Minh conveyed Vietnamese top leaders’ invitation to French President Francois Hollande to visit Vietnam. He also proposed that France advise the European Union to approve a framework agreement on Partnership and Cooperation with Vietnam and conclude the Vietnam-EU free trade agreement within 2014. Deputy PM Minh said he hopes the two countries will coordinate closely in organising the 21 st session of the United Nation Conference of the Parties on Climate Change scheduled for Paris in 2015. They also touched upon regional and international issues of mutual concern, including the East Sea issue. Fabius expressed stance of supporting the settlement of East Sea disputes through dialogues and peaceful measures without using forces. Deputy PM applauds Vietnam-Hungary judicial cooperation Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc praised Vietnam-Hungary cooperation in judicial and administrative reforms at a July 30 reception for Hungarian ambassador Torda Eszter in Hanoi. At the meeting, Deputy PM Phuc highlighted the role played by the Hungarian Embassy in Vietnam in strengthening relation between the two ministries of justice as well as Vietnamese and Hungarian internal affair agencies. He suggested Hungary should accelerate the signing of a financial framework agreement with Vietnam to maintain capital provision for cooperation projects between the two countries. “Vietnam wants Hungary to support in national population database projects and share its legislative and judicial reform experience.” Phuc noted. For her part, the Hungarian diplomat said she hopes the friendship and cooperation between Vietnam and Hungary will further thrive through specific cooperative activities. She told her host that the two justice ministries have finalized the signing of cooperation agreements and mapped out working plans for 2014-2015. Torda Eszter also affirmed her nation’s readiness to share legislative and judicial experience with Vietnam and continue coordinating with Vietnamese ministries and sectors in promoting many other cooperation areas. Defence Academy urged to develop training quality standard The National Defence Academy of Vietnam should work harder to further better its training mission, while making more proposals to the Party and State on military, denfence and security matters, National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung has urged. Speaking at the Academy Year-End Ceremony on July 30 in Hanoi , the NA leader underscored the country’s major defence and security tasks of safeguarding the national independence, sovereignty, unification and territorial integrity, and protecting the Party, State, people and socialism. He praised the academy’s efforts in creatively renovating its training programme and curriculum, successfully fulfilling its mission of training key officials of the military force as well as the Party and State agencies. Chairman Hung made it clear that the country is facing many urgent and long-term challenges in defence and security, requiring the close combination between strategies of national construction and defence, as well as between economic development and defence. At the same time, it is necessary to promote defence diplomacy, while thoroughly grasping the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, openness, diversification and multilateralisation of international relations, he said. Meanwhile, it is crucial to prevent war and secure long-term peace and security, while staying active in defence activities and settling all dispute issues based on international law, he added. According to Director of National Defence Academy, Lieutenant General Vo Tien Trung, currently, the academy has been offering training courses to 517 senior military officers and officials from central Party and State agencies. Justice Minister received by Lao leaders Lao Prime Minister Thongsing Thammavong and Chairwoman of the Lao National Assembly Pany Zathotou received Vietnamese Minister of Justice Ha Hung Cuong in Vientiane on July 30. At the meeting, the Lao leaders praised Vietnam’s judicial support to Laos, saying that Laos is preparing for joining the ASEAN Economic Community in 2015 with many in-depth cooperation programmes, the country hopes to receive more assistance from Vietnam, especially in training judicial personnel well as experience and information sharing. For his part, Justice Minister Cuong thanked Lao leaders for their warm welcome and said he is pleased at the legal and judicial partnership between the two countries, which is growing in an effective and practical manner. He briefed his hosts on the major socio-economic issues in Vietnam and the outcomes of his talks with his counterpart Chaluern Ziapaoher as well as the results of the second judicial conference between border provinces of Vietnam and Laos . Cuong stated that the two sides agreed to beef up cooperation and create all possible conditions for local people in border provinces of the two countries to enjoy stable and prosperous lives, building a borderline of peace and development together. The minister also expressed his belief that the Lao NA will successfully perform its role as the Chair of the 35 th ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) slated for September this year. Both PM Thongsing Thammavong and NA Chairwoman Pany Zathotou pledged that the Lao Party, State and people will spare no efforts to join hands with Vietnam to further consolidate and boost the Lao-Vietnam traditional friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation. President works with Public Security Ministry President Truong Tan Sang, also Head of the Party Steering Committee for Judicial Reform on July 30 worked with the Ministry of Public Security’s investigation agency on the investigation performance in the first half and devising tasks for the remaining months of this year. President Sang hailed the results of crime prevention from early this year, noting that transnational crime was a huge challenge for anti-crime forces and called for improved investigations to avoid unjust rulings. The independence of prosecution agencies and close cooperation among the relevant agencies were needed for crime prevention and control, Sang said, adding that improving investigation agencies is part of the judicial system reform strategy.        At the meeting, participants also pointed out difficulties in anti-crime operations in the reviewed period: some legal documents were not suitable with the real situation; there were new and high-tech crime that caused great deal of difficulties in evaluating evidence and views between competent agencies; coordination in investigation and extradition of crime involving foreign elements remained limited. They also stressed the need to boost closer coordination between legal agencies to avoid prolonged or wrongly handled cases, improve investigators’ capacity investigator and revamp the legal system. Friendship organizations urged to reinforce peace and solidarity National Assembly (NA) Vice Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan emphasized the importance of promoting peace, solidarity, friendship and cooperation between the Vietnamese people and those in the region and the wider world. Kim Ngan made the remark at the first conference of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO) Standing Conference for 2013-2018 term in Hanoi on July 30. She commended the VUFO and its member organizations’ practical activities as positive contributions to safeguarding the nation’s sacred sovereignty. Regarding his union’s tasks for the second half of this year, VUFO President Vu Xuan Hong said the focus will be on strengthening cooperation and cross-cultural exchange with neighboring and traditional countries and strategic partners, and calling on non-governmental organizations to provide more aid to localities and carrying out activities to protect the sovereignty and ensure regional peace, security and stability. According to the VUFO, many non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have pledged their continued support for Vietnam, primarily focusing on health care, education, community development, climate change adaptation and settlement of social affairs. Over the past six months, NGOs have disbursed roughly US$80 million for Vietnam. At the conference, delegates also reviewed the one-year performance of a PM Decision on VUFO member organizations’ operations. Party, State pledge to better care for revolutionary contributors The Party and State always pay much attention to bettering the living conditions of war invalids, martyrs’ families, and all revolutionary contributors, Politburo member and Vice Chairwoman of the National Assembly Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan has said. Meeting with a delegation of revolutionary contributors visiting Hanoi from the central province of Thua Thien-Hue in Hanoi on July 30, the Chairwoman stressed that the Party and State appreciate and acknowledge the sacrifice and contribution of martyrs, war invalids and revolutionary contributors for the country’s liberation and independence. NA Deputy Chairwoman lauded Thua Thien-Hue local authority’s efforts in building and upgrading nearly 4,000 houses for revolutionary contributors over the last 6 years. The same day, Deputy Director of the General Department of Politics under the Defence Ministry, Lieutenant General Luong Cuong, also hosted a reception for the delegation. He reiterated the heroic tradition of locals in the province during the wars as well as in the process of national defence and construction over the last 66 years. Lieut.Gen. Cuong expressed hope to receive more State contributors’ advices on social policies to better caring for revolutionary contributors in the locality. Vietnam, Cambodia intensify search for fallen soldiers Vietnam Defence Attaché to Cambodia Nguyen Anh Dung on July 30 handed over US$50,000 to the Royal Cambodian Army to fund Cambodia’s search for the remains of missing Vietnamese soldiers. The money is part of a total aid package of US$310,000 from the Vietnam Government for localities in Cambodia in 2014 providing funding for search efforts for Vietnamese soldiers killed in combat during the US war. Last year, the Vietnamese Government provided Cambodia’s localities with nearly US$250,000 to support these activities. Since 2001, Vietnamese and Cambodian search teams have repatriated 287 sets of remains and they aim to complete the repatriation of 4,500 sets of remains by the end of 2020. Seminar highlights first victory of navy, air defence-air forces The first victory of the Navy and the Air Defence-Air Forces of the Vietnam People’s Army against US forces 50 years ago was the main focus of a scientific seminar held in the northern port city of Hai Phong on July 30. In early August, 1964, the US staged the so-called Gulf of Tonkin incident, using it as an excuse to send planes and ships to attack northern Vietnam. Fighting back, Vietnamese armed forces shot down eight aircraft and arrested the first US pilot Everett Alvarez in northern Vietnam. They also drove the US destroyer Maddox out of the northern waters. Speeches by military officers, witnesses and scientists at the seminar highlighted the significance of the victory, hailing the sound leadership of the Party and late President Ho Chi Minh. They also drew lessons from the victory in terms of strategic guidance and ways to bring into play the united strength of the nation in safeguarding the country’s sovereignty. On July 29, construction began on a memorial to the navy’s first victory in Hoang Truong commune, Hoang Hoa district, central Thanh Hoa province, which used to be an important base of the force during the fight against the US’s destructive war. On August 5, 1964, a US military plane was shot down in the area. Japan shares experience in local government system The National Assembly’s Committee for Legal Affairs held a workshop in Hanoi on July 29 to hear Japan’s experience regarding the organisation and operation of local government administration, as part of the process to build a draft law on local government in Vietnam. At the function, Japanese experts discussed at length the division of power and duties between the central and local government and the organisation of local self-governed administration as well as the role of local government in their country. Opinions of the scholars will serve as reference for the building of the draft law on the organisation of local government in Vietnam. The law is expected to regulate a wide range of relating issues, such as defining administrative units, determining the organisation model for each administrative level, and specifying duties and power of local government at different levels. The draft law will be tabled for debate at the NA’s 8th session this October with the goal of to be voted into law at the May 2015 session. Source: VNA/VOV/VNN