Political News 15/10 Azerbaijan to reinforce comprehensive ties with Vietnam: President Azerbaijan will foster its multifaceted cooperation with Vietnam, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev told Politburo member and standing member of the Party Central Committee’s Secretariat Le Hong Anh in Baku on October 13. President Ilham Aliyev, who is also Chairman of the ruling New Azerbaijan Party, expressed his hope for further ties between the two countries’ ruling parties, thus creating a trustworthy political foundation for the time-honoured friendship between the two governments and peoples. That same day, Le Hong Anh held talks with Deputy Prime Minister Ali Akhmedov, Vice Chairman and Executive Secretary of the New Azerbaijan Party. The two sides informed each other of their countries’ respective situations, shared their experience in Party matters, and exchanged views on issues of mutual concern. Vietnam appreciates the diversified and open foreign policy of Azerbaijan in general and the New Azerbaijan Party in particular that values relations with the Southeast Asian country, the Vietnamese official said. They agreed that the Vietnamese delegation’s visit is a milestone in the two parties’ relations since the ratification of a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in Hanoi on April 2013. With regard to regional and international disputes, both sides underlined the need to settle disagreements peacefully and in line with international law. In a separate meeting, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov spoke highly of Vietnam’s role in the region and the world, stressing that his country deemes Vietnam a reliable Southeast Asian partner. He said the countries need to boost their bilateral cooperation to meet its full potential in the future.- Vietnam vows to join global efforts in disarmament Ambassador Nguyen Phuong Nga, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, has confirmed Vietnam’s ongoing policy to support comprehensive disarmament, especially with regard to nuclear weapons. She made the affirmation at the general debate of the First Committee on Disarmament and International Security of the 69 th UN General Assembly in New York on October 13. She highlighted Vietnam’s commitment to joining other countries for the common goal of disarmament and to abiding by relevant missions in this area. She called on the international community to step up its efforts to reduce the number of weapons and prioritise addressing disputes via peaceful means, in line with the UN Charter and international law. The ambassador described this as a crucial premise for states and the UN to push ahead with disarmament and prepare for the review conference on nuclear non-proliferation in 2015, while also accelerating negotiations on related treaties and ensuring security for non-nuclear countries. She thanked foreign partners for supporting Vietnam as Chair of the Boards of Governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for the 2013-2014 tenure.- Vietnam calls IPU to promote gender equality National Assembly (NA) Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong on October 14 delivered a speech at the plenary session of the 131st General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU-131) in Geneva, laying emphasis on gender equality issues. Phong affirmed that Vietnam is always mindful of gender equality, considering it a goal and a factor behind the promotion of women's advancement and socio-economic development of each nation. Therefore, the Vietnam NA has spared no efforts in revamping policies and basic legal frameworks with a view to promoting human rights and gender equality and combating violence against women. One chapter of Vietnam’s new constitution mentions human rights and women's rights. Vietnam has promulgated the Law on Gender Equality and the Law on Anti-Domestic Violence to enhance equality and women’s advancement. As a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for the 2014-2016 term, Vietnam is actively implementing its international commitments to promoting and protecting human rights, including women and girls’ rights on gender equality, and eliminating all forms of discrimination and violence against women. According to the Vietnamese NA leader, gender equality is a fundamental human right, an objective of all countries and an important measure to assess the progress and development of society. In recent years, the country has recorded accomplishments in realizing UN conventions on human rights, the Beijing Platform for Action on gender equality as well as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), thus remarkably improving women and girls’ lives and providing better education for them. However, violence against women in many places in different ways is seen as a global challenge, with one third of women and girls being victims. Violence against women causes serious consequences, violating human rights, honor, dignity and lives of women and adversely affecting future generations that are the real causes of gender inequality. Violence against women is a major obstacle to ensuring equality, development and peace and gender equality is actually exercised when there is no violence against women, Phong noted. Vietnam hopes the IPU to further bring into full play its role together with its member states in protecting and promoting human rights as a fundamental element of parliamentary democracy and development. She underlined the need to prioritize integrating gender equality and women’s advancement targets in sustainable development goals after 2015 towards eliminating violence especially against women and children at national and international levels. It is imperative to enhance the role of parliaments and parliamentarians by fine-tuning legal frameworks and national policies in accordance with commitments and standards and international practices on gender equality and advancement of women, and ensuring effective law enforcement, focusing on preventive measures against violent behaviors. Additionally, the focus should be given to promoting education and raising public awareness about gender equality and violence prevention in schools to ensure that future generations are not affected by violent behaviors. Governments, parliaments, UN agencies and political and social organizations should increase their closer coordination in fighting women and children trafficking and transnational prostitution to better ensure women’s rights, gender equality, anti-discriminatory treatment and prevent violence against women, Phong said. President meets voters in Ho Chi Minh City President Truong Tan Sang on October 14 met with voters in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 1 and 3, who contributed constructive ideas to addressing pressing socio-economic issues facing the country. The voters sought the President’s explanation for high inventories of locally-made goods and home businesses’ incapacity of producing spare parts for foreign companies. They expressed their hope that the State will adopt policies to get more scientists involved in studies on applied production to raise local products’ competitive edge. Many proposed increasing the number of full-time NA deputies and stopping the promulgation of impractical legal documents. President Truong Tan Sang appreciated the voters’ proposals, assuring them that the National Assembly will pay special attention to perfecting the institution in the time ahead. He informed the voters that in its upcoming 8th session of the 13 th tenure, the law-making body is scheduled to pass 17 draft laws, with many supporting the national economy’s growth. He also told them that the legislative body had strengthened its inspection operation and will reform the implementation of this important function. Combating and preventing corruption remains a priority, the President affirmed, appealing the voters to collaborate with the public authorised agencies in this work. On the occasion, the State leader also asked municipal authorities to take more drastic measures to fight social vices and maintain a healthy social environment. Vietnam-Cuba Inter-Governmental Committee meets The Vietnam-Cuba Inter-Governmental Committee for Economic, Commercial, Scientific and Technological Cooperation convened its 32nd meeting in Havana, Cuba on October 13, seeking ways to raise bilateral economic ties on a par with political relations. Cuban Minister of Trade and Foreign Investment Rodrigo Malmierca Diaz said during Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s visit to Cuba in March 2014, the two countries pledged to further their traditional friendship as well as cooperation in economics, trade and investment. To realise the pledge, both sides signed the medium-term economic cooperation programme along with identifying specific targets and cooperative orientations for the next five years, in the view of diversifying economic and trade ties. Reviewing the implementation results of agreements reached at the previous meetings, Minister Malmierca said bilateral trade has yet to match with potential though progress made recently, therefore the Vietnamese and Cuban Governments have determined to lift the ties to a higher level in line with their fine political relations. Vietnam is the second largest trade partner of Cuba in Asia and is the leading supplier of rice for Cuba, the minister said, expressing hopes to receive more Vietnamese investors in oil and gas, tourism, and industry. At the meeting, Vietnamese Minister of Construction Trinh Dinh Dung reiterated Vietnam’s consistent stance on supporting Cuban people’s revolutionary cause and highlighted Cuba’s valuable support for the nation’s past struggle for national liberation and current development process. He stated that Cuba’s new economic policies and measures, especially Foreign Investment Law and preferential investment policies in the Mariel Special Development Zone (ZEDM) will lay a firm foundation for attracting foreign investment to realize socio-economic development goals. The two sides reviewed results, discussed obstacles, difficulties and measures to be taken, and agreed key cooperative contents in the future as well as mechanisms for carrying out the signed mid-term economic cooperation programme. Vietnam, China foster cooperation on drug crime fight Vietnam and China are expected to reach a new agreement on the fight against illegal drugs during their fourth bilateral meeting on drug control, which started in Hanoi on October 14. According to the Standing Office for Drug Control (SODC) under the Ministry of Public Security, since the last meeting in China’s Hubei province in November 2013, Vietnam and China worked together to devise a joint action plan to tackle drug crimes along their shared border. The police forces of seven Vietnamese border localities and the Chinese provinces Yunnan and Guangxi organised a number of meetings to exchange information on organised crime. Meanwhile, police departments in Lao Cai, Ha Giang, Lai Chau and Dien Bien provinces agreed on a cooperation mechanism with Yunnan province, according to the office. Since 2013, the Yunnan police force has handed over four wanted drug traffickers, while Lang Son province helped capture a fugitive drug criminal from China. At the same time, the Customs of Vietnam uncovered 15 drug smuggling cases thanks to information provided by its Chinese counterpart, seizing over 21.2 kg of heroin. Speaking at the meeting, Hoang Anh Tuyen, Deputy Head of the SODC, acknowledged that authorised agencies on both sides have yet to eliminate the transnational illegal drug trade between the two countries. Despite the authorities’ efforts, drugs and drug traffickers still enter into Vietnam from China. He highlighted the need for both sides to increase the exchange of information and provide mutual support during criminal investigations. Meanwhile, Liu Yuejin, Permanent Deputy Secretary-General of China’s National Narcotics Control Commission, stated that the majority of methamphetamines and heroin transported across the Vietnam-China border originated in the Golden Triangle, impacting on both countries negatively. He shared the Chinese police force’s experience in running drug raids, while expressing his hope for a stronger partnership with Vietnam in this field in the future. Source: VNA/VOV/VNN