The country is rising from its position as Vietnam.

According to Ambassador Ngo Quang Xuan, former Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs Committee and Vietnam's Ambassador to the World Trade Organization, Vietnam has a solid diplomatic foundation and position.

This is a favorable opportunity to build upon the achievements of 40 years of reform, ushering the country into an era of national progress.

At their meeting on October 7, 2024, General Secretary To Lam (then concurrently serving as President of Vietnam ) and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to upgrade Vietnam-France relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

President Luong Cuong and Chilean President Gabriel Boric Font pose for a photo before their talks during President Luong Cuong's official visit to Chile from November 10 to 12, 2024.

As a veteran diplomat, recalling the early period of reform and international integration, how does he perceive the changes and transformations in Vietnam's foreign policy position today?

I am most impressed by the 30 comprehensive and strategic partners that Vietnam has built within the framework of deep cooperation in politics , security, and economics and trade over the past period.

Among them, Vietnam has the highest level of diplomatic relations with 8 countries, including: China, the Russian Federation, India, South Korea, the United States, Japan, Australia, and France.

Specifically in 2024, Vietnam upgraded its strategic partnership with France in October during the visit to France of General Secretary To Lam (who was then concurrently serving as President).

Thus, we have upgraded diplomatic relations with all five permanent members of the Security Council and major economic centers of the world. This will create a strategic and favorable environment for peace and development in Vietnam.

The recent surge in foreign policy activities reflects Vietnam's consistent and long-term policy of actively integrating and expanding international relations. All of this has created a very favorable new turning point for Vietnam in terms of integration, foreign relations, and the country's standing.

Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed and thanked Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh for attending the BRICS Expanded Leaders' Meeting in October 2024.

National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man and National Assembly Chairman Samdech Khuon Sudary during an official visit to Cambodia in November 2024.

Speaking at Columbia University in the United States on September 23, 2024, General Secretary and President To Lam affirmed that, after nearly 80 years of nation-building and almost 40 years of reform, Vietnam is standing at a new historical starting point, a new era, an era of national resurgence. According to him, what is the significance of foreign relations in the overall achievements of the country?

The tremendous and historically significant achievements of the reform process are the foundation for our nation to have confidence in the future ahead. Among these great achievements, the achievements in foreign relations cannot be overlooked.

From a country once surrounded and embargoed, Vietnam today has diplomatic relations with 194 countries.

Vietnam is also an active member of ASEAN and more than 70 regional and international organizations, with relations with 224 markets across continents.

We develop strong diplomatic relations with countries based on the principle of wanting to be friends, reliable partners, and responsible members of the international community, cooperating to bring about mutual benefits while contributing to international relations.

We are not only expanding our relationships with all continents, but also deepening them even further.

At the same time, we prioritize foreign policy in our relations with neighboring countries, regional countries, major powers, and key partners.

For each country, we can explore bilateral relations and their role in the region, as well as their relationships in other multilateral forums.

Based on this foundation, what should diplomacy continue to develop as we enter a new era, sir?

With this diplomatic foundation, if we know how to combine it with the current favorable opportunities, we can multiply the achievements of 40 years of reform.

The current era is undergoing a dramatic transformation with many different economic transformation models such as digital transformation and green transformation. Certainly, we must rely on these to create breakthroughs in economic development.

This requires the country to seize the opportunity starting today, combining Vietnam's inherent capabilities and internal strengths with international conditions. Otherwise, it will inevitably fall further behind.

General Secretary and President To Lam, along with Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man, and Standing Member of the Party Central Committee Luong Cuong, attended the 13th Party Central Committee meeting on the morning of August 3, 2024.

Besides the advantages, what challenges will we have to overcome, sir?

The world is in rapid, unpredictable motion, presenting both opportunities and challenges.

Firstly, great power competition is becoming increasingly fierce, the pressure to choose sides is increasing, and the world is becoming more fragmented.

In addition, although the global economy continues to maintain its growth momentum, it also faces many difficulties from the pandemic, inflation, crises, and supply chain disruptions.

Secondly, there are non-traditional security challenges. These challenges are becoming increasingly urgent, even directly impacting the very environment in which humanity can survive.

Finally, there is the "headwind" trend of protectionism, which does not support globalization.

Ambassador Ngo Quang Xuan.

Domestically, we must innovate and make breakthroughs in terms of institutions, infrastructure, and human resources in order to access new drivers of development from the world.

These are long-standing driving forces, but they need to be considered within a new context to leverage new resources.

Vietnam is located in the highly dynamic Asia-Pacific region. Here, countries continue to support peace and cooperation, especially multilateral cooperation, and endorse the central role of ASEAN.

In the context of great power competition, maintaining a peaceful and stable environment requires us to emphasize a consistent foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification, and multilateralism.

We don't choose sides, but we must choose justice. Furthermore, international law must be emphasized.

Ultimately, while we place national interests at the core of our priorities, we must share them with other nations to foster mutually beneficial cooperation.

Thank you, sir!

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/dat-nuoc-vuon-minh-tu-vi-the-viet-nam-192250127094142141.htm