Government News 28/11 Army staff chief meets Chinese provincial commander Chief of the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army Sen. Lieut. Gen. Do Ba Ty met with Commander of the Guangxi province military zone of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Maj. Gen. Xiao Yun Hong in Hanoi on November 27. Ty, who is also Deputy Defence Minister, stated that the Vietnamese Government, people and army always bear in mind the great support provided by the Chinese side in the past struggle for independence. The two countries’ relations have developed strongly with defence ties improved constantly, bringing about practical results for both sides, he affirmed, delivering hope that the relations will grow further in line with the motto agreed by senior leaders. Maj. Gen. Xiao Yun Hong said China has always placed importance to the traditional friendship with Vietnam. He suggested the two defence ministries set up a hotline and make it easier for relationship exchange between the border guard forces so as to contribute to building the shared borderline of peace, stability and development. Maj. Gen. Xiao Yun Hong led a delegation on a working visit to Vietnam. NA adopts laws on people’s police, occupational education National Assembly deputies discussed and adopted several laws and draft laws during their November 27 sitting of the legislature’s eighth session. In the morning, lawmakers passed the law on amendments and supplements to several articles of the Law on Vietnam People’s Army Officers and the revised People’s Police Law. They also gave comments on the draft Law on the Promulgation of Legal Documents. In the afternoon, they approved the Occupational Education Law. Deputies then exchanged opinions on the draft Law on Natural Resources and Marine and Island Environment. The eighth session will conclude on November 28 and be broadcast live on both national radio and television. Defence Minister welcomes Ukrainian veterans, RoK Ambassador Minister of Defence General Phung Quang Thanh hosted a reception for Ukrainian veterans who assisted Vietnam during the war of resistance in Hanoi on November 27. General Thanh expressed his gratitude to Ukrainian people for their support for the Vietnamese people during the past struggle for national independence and liberation. He spoke highly of the traditional friendship between Vietnam and Ukraine, proposing the veterans continue to share their valuable experience with Vietnamese officers with a view to promoting mutual understanding . Ukrainian veterans said they admired Vietnam for its nation-building and defence achievements. The visit was paid on the occasion of the 70 th founding anniversary of the Vietnam People’s Army. The same day, General Phung Quang Thanh also hosted a reception for the Republic of Korea (RoK)’s Ambassador to Vietnam Jun Dae Joo. The General said the strategic cooperation between the two countries has been sped up, notably in trade, politics and people-to-people exchange. He revealed that his Ministry will study cooperation with the RoK side in several defence industries. He expressed his hope that the Ambassador would serve as a bridge to further foster the cooperative ties,  including that in defence. The diplomat stated that the Rok always treasures its strategic cooperation with Vietnam, giving the prime importance to the defence affiliation. He pledged to do his utmost to foster the ties during his mission in Vietnam. IPU leader oversees Vietnam’s IPU-132 preparations Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Martin Chungong asserted the organisation’s readiness to work closely with Vietnam in organising the IPU’s 132nd General Assembly successfully. The official held talks in Hanoi on November 27 with Tran Van Hang, Chairman of the Committee for External Affairs of the National Assembly. As Deputy Head of the Organising Board for the event, which is scheduled for March 2015 in Hanoi, Hang informed that preparatory work is proceeding as schedule. The two sides discussed in detail preparations in terms of protocol, finance, security, healthcare and communication. The same day, Vice Chairman of the NA Committee for External Affairs Ha Huy Thong had a working session with Secretary General Martin Chungong. The IPU-132 is to see the participation of over 1,300 delegates from 160 countries and territories. HCM City marks Laos’ National Day Top officials of Ho Chi Minh City met Lao Consul General Southideth Phommalat in the city on November 27 on the occasion of the 39th anniversary of Lao National Day (December 2). Permanent Vice Secretary of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee Vo Van Thuong expressed hope that the traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Laos will come a long way. The Lao Consul General noted with satisfaction that the bilateral ties have been growing across diverse areas, ranging from politics, socio-economics, science-technology, national defence-security to diplomacy. The same day, the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations partnered with the municipal chapter of the Vietnam – Laos Friendship Association to host a ceremony celebrating the anniversary. Vietnamese and Lao delegates pledged to strengthen the coordination between Ho Chi Minh City and Lao localities in the coming time. As the second biggest investor in Laos, Vietnam has so far registered 413 projects worth over 5 billion USD in the country, with 40 ones valued at around 400 million USD sourced from Ho Chi Minh City. World media highlight Party leader’s Russia, Belarus visits The national news agency of Belarus, BelTA, on November 26 praised the Vietnam-Belarus traditional relationship and hailed the outcomes of the talks between Vietnamese Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko during the former’s visit to the country. The agency quoted President Lukashenko as saying that Belarus considers developing ties with Vietnam one of the priorities in its foreign policy in Asia and wishes to bring bilateral relations to a new level of development. As a member of the Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan , Belarus will work to accelerate the negotiations for the early signing of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Vietnam and the Union , he said. The signing of the agreement was also covered by the Belgian press on November 25-26. The Euro Presse Images website ( www.epi-agency.com ) quoted Russian President Vladimir Putin as saying that negotiations for the deal are going to be concluded and Vietnam is likely to be the first country that Russia will sign with. Russia now ranks 19 th among 100 countries and territories investing in Vietnam . Once the FTA is reached, Russia will triple its trade with Vietnam to 10 billion USD in 2015. “Le Soir” and “La Bibre”, two French dailies of Belgium , stressed Putin’s statement that Moscow and Hanoi have agreed to facilitate the entry of Vietnamese farm produce into the Russian market. The formation of a free trade zone between the Customs Union and Vietnam will help push bilateral cooperation forward. The Belgian press also praised collaboration between the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam) and Russia ’s Zarubezhneft and Gazprom Neft set up during General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong’s visit. Party leader meets with OVs community in Belarus Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong expressed his hope that the Overseas Vietnamese (OVs) community in Belarus would continue to uphold solidarity, integrate in the resident country and preserve the national identity. Trong made the statement on November 26 at a meeting with the OVs community in Belarus and staff of the Vietnam embassy as part of his official visit to the Eastern European country. He expressed delight that the OVs in Belarus have stabilised their lives and made active contribution to the resident country and that the embassy staff have made great efforts to fulfil their tasks. The top leader said the solemn welcoming ceremony for the Vietnamese delegation has proven Belarus has attached great importance to Vietnam’s international status and wants to further develop the Vietnam-Belarus relations in the coming time. The Party leader also expressed his wish that the OVs community in Belarus would continue to serve as a bridge to deepen friendship between the two countries. He asked Vietnamese embassy staff to overcome difficulties to continue contributing to bolstering the traditional friendship and all-round cooperation to protect the legitimate interests of the Vietnamese people. The same day, the Party leader held talks with the Belarusian Prime Minister Mikhail Myasnikovich and witnessed the signing of cooperative documents between the two countries. Later, he met with Chairman of the Council of the Republic Anatoly Rubinov, representatives from the Vietnam- Belarus Friendship Association, war veterans and visited cultural and economic centres in Belarus. VNA/VOV/VNN