Vietnamese, Singaporean air forces bolster cooperation Vietnamese, Singaporean air forces bolster cooperation Vietnam’s Air Defence-Air Force Commander Lieutenant General Phuong Minh Hoa is leading a Vietnam People’s Army delegation to pay a working visit to Singapore from May 13-15. On May 14, Hoa met with Chief of the Singaporean Air Force Major General Hoo Cher Mou, during which they emphasised the need for strengthened defence cooperation in line with the two countries’ strategic partnership to create a model for air force coordination among ASEAN members. They pledged to continue exchanging high-ranking delegations and young officers, sharing information and experience, and coordinating in search and rescue activities. The Vietnamese officer invited his host to visit Vietnam, who then accepted and expressed his intention to visit Vietnam in July of this year. The same day, Commander Hoa paid a courtesy visit to Singaporean Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen. He also visited the Singaporean Aeromedical Centre and the Air Force Training Command.- President wraps up visit to Azerbaijan President Truong Tan Sang left the Azerbaijan capital city of Baku for Hanoi on May 15, concluding his three-day official visit to the country. Earlier the same day, the Vietnamese leader and his entourage visited the country’s largest terminal for oil and gas Sangachan, during which he heard Azerbaijani experts introduce their oil production process as well as review oil exports from the country to neighbouring Gruzia and Turkey. The President also toured the Heydae Aliyev Center in Baku featuring objects related to the life and political career of Heydae Aliyev, the President of Azerbaijan from October 1993 to October 2003. Earlier, he attended the Vietnam-Azerbaijan business forum, and met with veteran Azerbaijani civilian and military experts who once worked in Vietnam and the Vietnamese community in the country. VN Vice President Doan meets with Brazilian President Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff on May 15 held a welcoming reception for Vice State President Nguyen Thi Doan, who is on a visit to the South American country to attend the Global Women’s Summit in Sao Paolo. “Brazil is highly cognizant of the increasing role Vietnam is playing in the international arena and is desirous of expanding cooperation in a vast array of fields,” the Brazilian President said. Rousseff went on to say that Brazil was especially interested in assisting Vietnam extend its national grid for electric power transmission into remote areas of the country and supplying hybrid seeds for agriculture. Bilateral trade between the two nations has been on the upswing over recent years, she said and Brazil currently ranks as Vietnam’s largest export market in South America with trade tallying in at record high levels. Mrs Doan in turn congratulated President Rousseff on the nation’s socio-economic achievements over the past decade and expressed her hope that the two nations would continue fostering mutual trust and understanding. In addition, the two leaders discussed a number of regional and international issues of mutual concern. Mrs Doan reaffirmed Vietnam’s support for Brazil to become a member of an enlarged UNSC and to broaden relations with ASEAN. Also on the same day, Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira hosted a reception banquet for the Vietnamese delegation. Vietnam values extensive strategic partnership with Japan Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Cuong affirmed Vietnam’s recognition of high importance to developing a wide-ranging strategic partnership with Japan at a May 14 reception for visiting Vice Foreign Minister Kazuyuki Nakane in Hanoi. The Japanese Vice Foreign Minister expressed his delight at the strong, substantive and comprehensive growth of bilateral relations over recent years. Japan always considers Vietnam an important partner and will continue providing high levels of ODA funding to support the country in ensuring sustainable development, improving the infrastructure system and responding to climate change, Kazuyuki Nakane told his host. The two sides exchanged views on measures to further deepen Vietnam-Japan relations across the board, maintain regular exchange visits and contacts at all levels, and promote the efficiency of existing cooperation mechanisms. They appreciated the progress made in agricultural cooperation over the past time and agreed to increase cooperation in potential fields.  Both sides also consented to further step up cooperation and delegation exchange between the two foreign ministries. The two diplomats also compared notes on international and regional issues of common concern and concurred to bolster cooperation at multilateral forums as well as  in negotiations on regional economic connectivity, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement. PM conveys congratulations to UK counterpart Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on May 15 sent congratulations to his counterpart David Cameron on the latter’s re-election as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK). Earlier this month, Cameron’s Conservative party won the UK’s general election with enough number of seats in the House of Commons to govern alone. Central Highlands, Northeast Cambodia strengthen ties Multi-faceted cooperation, especially in defence and security, between the Central Highlands and neighbouring northeast Cambodia will be expanded as agreed upon by officials on May 15. The consensus was reached at a working session between Vice Chairman of the Steering Committee for the Central Highlands Trieu Xuan Hoa and Ratanakiri Governor Thong Sa Vun in Vietnam’s Dak Lak province. They agreed to consolidate coordination mechanisms, enhance joint patrols and work together to combat crime to preserve peace, stability, and development in border areas. The two regions will promote twinning relations between their residential areas, send outstanding Cambodian students to study at Central Highlands educational facilities, and improve the efficiency of medical check-ups and treatment given to northeast Cambodian people. They concurred in asking their respective countries’ relevant agencies to upgrade border infrastructure, particularly at border gates, and streamline administrative procedures to facilitate economic and tourism activities and Vietnamese investments in Ratanakiri. At the working session, officials highlighted the regions’ socio-economic, security and political relations, noting that Vietnam has assisted its neighbour in building roads, power transmission lines and schools. Trade between the Central Highlands and northeast Cambodia has exceeded 180 million USD annually since 2012, an average increase of over 10 percent. Vietnam has run 20 projects in the northeast Cambodian region with a registered capital of more than 970 million USD, mostly in agriculture, such as rubber planting, forestry and mining. External information essential for national foreign policy: official External information is an indispensable part of national foreign policy, contributing to introducing the country’s socio-economic achievements and integration efforts to international friends, Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Dang Minh Khoi told the Vietnam News Agency. During a recent interview, Khoi, who is also a member of the Steering Committee for the first National External Information Service Awards 2014, stressed the role of external information in maintaining socio-political stability and strengthening and expanding relations between Vietnam and other countries and international organisations. It reflected the national policies of socio-economic development, helping foreign friends and overseas Vietnamese gain insight into Vietnam, while speeding up global integration, promoting economic cooperation, attracting foreign investment and tourists and tightening links among the overseas Vietnamese communities. Through mass media and Party and State leaders’ interviews with the press, information on national external activities has been highlighted, contributing to conveying Vietnam’s desire for peace, development and friendship with other countries over the world. It also serves to update regional and global situations, bringing international news to Vietnamese people, the Deputy Minister stated. Vietnam’s 98 representative agencies operating worldwide also play significant role in promoting foreign policies of the Party and State abroad, thus taking advantage of international support, forging links with foreign nations, and calling for contributions from the overseas Vietnamese community to the homeland’s development, Khoi noted. According to the Deputy Minister, the Party and State have attached special importance to enhancing external information activities with a focus on promoting Vietnam as a peace-loving democratic nation with dynamic and stable development. Khoi underlined the need to reform and diversify expression and popularisation forms of external information while utilising modern communication tools and applying advanced science and technology. Additionally, it is necessary to enhance national cultural introductions in external information products while encouraging press agencies to publish materials in multiple languages in order to meet the information demand of domestic and foreign audiences, he said. The National External Information Service Awards 2014 aim to encourage reporters and press agencies to create quality external information products with rich contents and attractive formats to meet requirements related to foreign policies of the Party and State and contribute to national construction and defence, Khoi stressed. VNA