Political News 16/10 HCM City voters voice concerns over corruption Corruption remains a pressing problem that needs to be addressed as soon as possible, voters in Ho Chi Minh City’s District 4 said during their meeting with President Truong Tan Sang on October 15. Anti-corruption offices succeeded in detecting numerous cases, but their operations were not really effective, they commented. Regarding health, voters pointed out difficulties in paying for treatment using health insurance at specialised hospitals. They also urged the sector to take responsibility for cases of unhygienic food services and the import of used medical equipment. The increasing number of traffic accidents is another concern for voters. They proposed the National Assembly set up a mechanism to reorder traffic. Other matters under discussion included the high number of public servants, which has put pressure on the State budget; high tuition fees at the beginning of the school year; and an increase in criminal cases. President Truong Tan Sang appreciated the voters’ constructive opinions. He said cuts to public services were not a decisive factor, but professional performance would need to be monitored closely. It was therefore necessary to improve the skills and quality of work of civil servants. He called upon the public to support the State in the fight against wastefulness. The State leader also highlighted the need for local authorities to work with all relevant units to combat crime and ensure local security. Vietnam, Cuba keen to further bilateral ties Vietnam and Cuba should boost their bilateral cooperation, which has yet to meet its full potential despite recent progress made to deepen the traditional friendship and special partnership, the Cuban State Council Vice President Lazara Mercedes Lopez Acea said at a reception for a Vietnamese delegation on October 14. The Vietnamese delegation is currently in Havana to attend the 32nd meeting of the Vietnam-Cuba Inter-Governmental Committee. The Vice President lauded the results of the bilateral meetings this year and hoped both sides would devise specific targets and cooperative directions for the future. Vietnamese Minister of Construction Trinh Dinh Dung, who led the delegation, reiterated that the two sides reaped significant achievements in bilateral cooperation in the fields of trade, agriculture, aquaculture and bio-technology. He informed that Vietnamese business people accompanying the delegation will visit the Mariel Special Development Zone (ZEDM) to seek opportunities for investments and experience sharing. On his part, Standing Deputy Secretary of the Hanoi Party Committee Nguyen Cong Soai hailed the excellent partnership between the two countries and the two capital cities of Hanoi and Havana. Soai expressed his belief that the bilateral economic and investment ties would soon be on par with the sound long-term political relations. On the same day, the Vietnamese delegation held a working session with Cuban Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero to seek ways to explore their great potentials for cooperation in tourism. The Vietnamese minister highlighted the need for tourism delegation exchanges and jointly-built Cuban hotels as part of the efforts to forge connections between Vietnamese and Cuban enterprises and tourist agencies. Additionally, the Hanoi leader presented the “Honourary Hanoi Citizen” title to Fredesman Turro Gonzalez, the former Cuban Ambassador to Vietnam, for his role in fostering friendship and solidarity between the two countries. Vietnam proposes topic for 132nd ASGP meeting Chairman of the National Assembly Office Nguyen Hanh Phuc held talks with representatives from the standing committee of the Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments (ASGP) in Geneva on October 14 to propose a topic for the 132nd meeting of ASGP (ASGP-132) scheduled for March 2015 in Hanoi. The talks took place on the sidelines of the ongoing 131 st Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, during which Phuc proposed the main theme for the ASGP-132 should be “the efficiency of the parliamentary consultative model”. He said the discussion would provide a chance for IPU members to evaluate the efficiency of current consultative apparatus of legislative bodies, and draw out criteria to set up suitable consultative units to improve the quality and efficiency of parliaments. ASGP is a consultative organ under the IPU that plays a vital role in ensuring the efficient operation of the union. The association will hold its official meeting in Geneva on October 16 to put forth advice on realising the goals set by IPU. Vietnam, Cambodia increase anti-crime cooperation Vietnam and Cambodia have agreed to step up collaboration in the fight against crimes, especially those in their border areas. The two sides reached the consensus during a recent meeting in Phnom Penh between a visiting delegation from Vietnam’s General Police Department for Crime Prevention and Control led by its Deputy Director General Nguyen Phi Hung and Commissioner General Neth Savoeun of the Cambodia National Police. They informed each other of their respective crime prevention and shared experience in suppressing all kinds of crime, particularly drug and human trafficking. They also agreed to accelerate the setting up of permanent working groups to timely update each other on the criminal situation so as to increase the efficiency of joint crackdowns. The Cambodian side suggested a quarterly exchange of delegations to further share prevention measures and other crime-related issues. Over the past years, the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security and the Cambodian Ministry of Interior has reinforced collaboration in cross-border crime prevention, helping guarantee security and order along the shared borderline. Azerbaijani PM hopes for increased economic links with Vietnam Azerbaijani Prime Minister Artur Rasizade has said his country and Vietnam need to focus their cooperation on economy and trade, especially oil and gas exploration and processing, so as to spur two-way trade in the years to come. Meeting with visiting Politburo member and permanent member of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee’s Secretariat Le Hong Anh on October 14, the PM highly valued Vietnam’s major socio-economic achievements and said the two countries see a great prospect for further collaboration. He suggested both sides carry out cooperation programmes in education-training, culture and tourism, thus helping foster their traditional relations. He also urged for the establishment of an inter-governmental committee on economic-trade and scientific-technological cooperation which was agreed by the two countries’ leaders. At a reception for the Vietnamese official, Speaker of the Azerbaijani Parliament Ogtay Osadov said Azerbaijan always treasures its relations with Asian-Pacific nations, including Vietnam, expressing his hope for the country’s increasing growth and status in the region and the world at large. Although bilateral economic-trade ties have witnessed observable strides over the past years, they still see great potential to grow in the future, he added, noting that the setting up of friendship parliamentarians’ groups in the two countries will lay a firm foundation for strengthening legislative affiliation. At the meetings, Politburo member Le Hong Anh informed the hosts of Vietnam’s situation, adding that his country will host the 132nd General Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU-132) and relating meetings in Hanoi next year. Vietnamese, Indian legislative bodies embrace ties Vietnamese law-makers hoped to shake hands with their Indian partners on legislative activities to increase mutual understanding, solidarity and political ties between the two countries. National Assembly Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong made the remark while meeting with Indian Deputy Chairman of the Rajya Sabha (Upper House of Parliament) Pallath Joseph Kurien on the sidelines of the 131st Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Assembly. The Vietnamese official suggested enhancing gatherings between the friendship parliamentarian groups to facilitate the implementation of cooperation programmes, agreements and treaties between the two governments to drive the bilateral strategic partnership forward. She thanked India for supporting Vietnam’s stance on the East Sea issues and sustaining bilateral cooperation in oil and gas mining activities there. For his part, Deputy Chairman Pallath Joseph Kurien highlighted the traditional friendship and strategic cooperative ties which were founded by late President Ho Chi Minh and late Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, and nurtured by the next generations of leaders and people. He expressed his pleasure to attend the 132nd IPU Assembly which will be hosted by Vietnam in 2015. Vietnam and India are working together closely at various forums, especially at the United Nations, the World Trade Organisation (WTO), and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Source: VNS/VNA/VOV