Government News 21/4 Defence Minister receives newly-appointed Russian Ambassador Minister of Defence General Phung Quang Thanh hosted a reception for newly-appointed Russian Ambassador to Vietnam Vnukov Konstantin Vasilievich on April 20 in Hanoi. At the reception, the Vietnamese Minister congratulated Vnukov Konstantin Vasilievich on his new mission in Vietnam. Thanh spoke highly of the Vietnam-Russia traditional ties, which have been maintained and upheld through generations, and lauded the success of the two sides’ cooperation in all fields, including defence. He suggested the two nations should further expand the collaboration between their armed forces, particularly in personnel training, defence industry and delegation exchanges. For his part, the Russian Ambassador reiterated the huge potential of Vietnam-Russia relations with a focus on military technology and agreed with Thanh’s proposals. Czech parliamentary committee on budget control welcomed in Hanoi Vice Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Huynh Ngoc Son hosted a reception in Hanoi on April 20 for the visiting Czech delegation of the Committee on Budgetary Control at the Chamber of Deputies headed by Chairman Vladimir Konicek. Lauding the development of the 65-year-old traditional ties between Vietnam and the Czech Republic, the NA Vice Chairman reiterated that Vietnam treasures its relationship with the Czech Republic and was grateful for its support during the struggle for national independence. Son hoped the Czech Republic, as a member of the European Union (EU), would urge the European Parliament to ratify the EU-Vietnam Agreement on Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation (PCA) and sign the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in 2015 alongside its early recognition of Vietnam’s market economy status. He suggested the two sides strengthen their cooperation and increase delegation exchanges to share experiences in issues of mutual interest. For his part, the guest hailed the strong development of relations between the two legislatures and their contributions to the growth of bilateral ties. He proposed both sides expand cooperation in trade, agriculture and industry, not only to benefit their people but also to fuel world peace and regional stability. The same day, the Czech delegation had a working session with Chairman of the NA Committee on Finance and State Budget Phung Quoc Hien. The two sides focused their discussion on cooperation in State budget supervision. They agreed to boost ties and increase information and experience exchanges.- President meets war book steering board President Truong Tan Sang met representatives from the Steering Board responsible for compiling the book “ Ky uc nguoi linh ” (Memory of Soldiers) in Hanoi on April 20. The steering board briefed the leader of its tasks, including launching a two-year writing campaign about war triumphs and memories and compiling them into a book, having already debuted its first and second volumes. The President hailed the board for its achievements and asked the continuation of the humanitarian task so as to enrich the historical and cultural values of the nation as well as educate younger generations about the glorious national revolutionary history. On the occasion, he also met with the Liaison Board for the Association of Comrades-in-Arms, War Veterans of Southwest Division 5. The liaison board was also requested to uphold its tradition and achieve strategic goals together with the Party and people. The meeting took place ahead of the 40 th anniversary of southern liberation and national reunification.- Vietnam affirms traditional solidarity with African countries Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ha Kim Ngoc has affirmed the traditional solidarity between Vietnam and African countries in the past struggle for independence and the current cooperation for development. The Deputy Minister made the statement at the ministerial-level Asian-African meeting that took place in the Indonesian capital city of Jakarta on April 20 to discuss ways to increase cooperation between the two continents. He agreed that it is necessary to maintain Bandung principles, especially of respecting national sovereignty and territorial integrity, not using force, not exerting pressuren, and solving international disputes through peaceful measures dictated by international law. The Deputy Minister recommended increasing connections and ensuring freedom, safety, and security of navigation and aviation to boost economic exchanges. The meeting was also an occasion for delegates to review preparations for the Asia-Africa Summit, the 60th anniversary of the Bandung Meeting and the 10th anniversary of the Asian-African Partnership from April 22-24. Meeting participants agreed that Asian and African countries are facing common issues of instability, conflicts, poverty and climate change. Participating countries emphasised the need to share experiences and promote South-South cooperation for development and prosperity alongside each country’s own efforts. They also underscored that to maintain peace, stability and development, countries must conform to Bandung 1955 principles. Conference reviews feedback on revised Civil Code A northern conference reviewing the government report featuring public feedback on the amended Civil Code took place in Hanoi on April 20. As of April 15, ministries, agencies and localities had collected hundreds of thousands of opinions on the bill, a majority of which said the revisions have numerous breakthrough points that help realise international commitments on human and citizen rights and improve socialism-oriented market economy regulations and judicial reform. Others believed that there remain unspecific contents that fail to address daily concerns and called for them to be included in order to provide a better legal framework for the public and authorities. Participants also expressed their views on regulations regarding activities and local socio-economic development. The revised Civil Code is divided into 26 chapters with 712 articles. The conference was hosted by the Ministry of Justice. Belgian lawmakers praise Vietnam for IPU-132 success Belgian parliamentarians spoke highly of Vietnam’s organisation of the 132 nd Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU-132) and praised the outcomes of the recently concluded event. Talking to Vietnam News Agency correspondents, parliamentarians Pol Van Den Driessche and Andries Gryffroy said Vietnam’s preparations - from accommodation to travel - were perfect, demonstrating its effective organisation and hospitality. They said this friendly impression was shared by almost all the foreign delegates who attended. The parliamentarians said the outcomes reached at the IPU-132 were better than those from previous assemblies, adding that an anti-terrorism resolution proposed by Australia and Belgium was approved by all 170 countries, including Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Libya, which house a large number of jihads from the self-proclaimed Islamic State. The parliamentary pair drew attention to the IPU’s ratification of a resolution on water resources governance, which they said is a pressing global issue. This will be an important international framework for enhancing the role of parliaments in ensuring the human right to water and hygiene, approved by the United Nations General Assembly in 2010. Lawmakers of the 170 participating countries will soon submit the resolutions passed at the IPU-132 to their parliaments, ultimately bolstering international collaboration in global matters, they added. Van Den Driessche and Gryffroy also said the the Belgian and Vietnamese parliaments now enjoy the best possible conditions to develop their partnership. Belgium will strengthen its multifaceted affiliation with the National Assembly of Vietnam in the time to come, including legislative experience sharing. The IPU-132 took place in the capital city of Hanoi from March 28 to April 1 under the theme “Sustainable Development Goals: Turning Words into Action”. VNA