A highlight in the country's overall achievements.

“With the outstanding efforts of the entire Party, the entire people, and the entire army, foreign affairs and diplomacy have clearly affirmed the identity of 'Vietnamese bamboo diplomacy,' a prominent highlight in the overall achievements of the country,” Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son said in an interview with TG&VN Newspaper ahead of the 32nd Diplomatic Conference and the 21st Foreign Affairs Conference, from December 19-23.

General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and his wife presided over the official welcoming ceremony for General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping and his wife on their state visit to Vietnam from December 12-13, 2023.

2023 marks the mid-term of the implementation of the Resolution of the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, and also the year the Ministry of Foreign Affairs held its 32nd Diplomatic Conference. Could the Minister please elaborate on the outstanding achievements in foreign affairs since the 31st Diplomatic Conference as well as during the first half of the term?

As we know, since the 13th National Congress of the Party, the global and domestic situations, alongside opportunities and advantages, have undergone rapid and more complex developments than anticipated, with many new and more intense difficulties and challenges emerging.

In this context, the tasks and demands on foreign affairs are heavier than before. However, it can be affirmed that, with the extraordinary efforts of the entire Party, the entire people, and the entire army, foreign affairs and diplomacy have clearly demonstrated the unique character of "Vietnamese bamboo diplomacy," a prominent highlight in the overall achievements of the country. Specifically:

Firstly, the Party's 13th National Congress's foreign policy guidelines have been thoroughly understood and implemented in a synchronized, unified, and effective manner. The Central Committee, the Politburo, and the Secretariat have approved many important foreign policy projects and issued resolutions, directives, and conclusions to concretize the 13th National Congress's foreign policy guidelines, such as Resolution No. 8 of the 13th Central Committee on the Strategy for National Defense in the New Situation, Resolution No. 34 of the Politburo on some major orientations and policies for implementing the 13th National Congress's foreign policy guidelines, and conclusions and directives on developing relations with several important partners, ASEAN cooperation, Mekong sub-regional cooperation, economic diplomacy, work related to overseas Vietnamese, and people-to-people diplomacy...

Secondly, we have further consolidated the open and favorable foreign policy landscape for national development and defense in the new period. The success of visits and telephone conversations by Party and State leaders, especially the 45 visits by key leaders to neighboring countries, strategic partners, most ASEAN countries, many important partners, and traditional friends, and nearly 50 visits by leaders of other countries to Vietnam, including historic visits such as the visit of General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong to China, the visit of General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping to Vietnam, and the visit of US President Joe Biden..., has created a new qualitative leap in our country's foreign relations and international integration. Along with this, the framework of relations with many important partners has been elevated to a new level, political trust with many countries has been firmly consolidated, and cooperation is increasingly expanding, substantive, and effective.

Lao Party General Secretary and President Thongloun Sisoulith welcomed Vietnamese President Vo Van Thuong during his visit to Laos from April 10-11, 2023. (Source: VNA)

Thirdly, foreign policy has played a pioneering role in maintaining a peaceful and stable environment and protecting the Fatherland. Despite the world experiencing major and complex changes, we have correctly handled foreign affairs and relations with partners on the basis of unwavering independence, self-reliance, and peaceful coexistence, while also being flexible in strategy and conduct. In addition, we have proactively and actively promoted dialogue and achieved very important results in delimiting and resolving some border and territorial issues on the basis of respecting international law and firmly protecting independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.

Fourth, foreign policy has taken the lead in mobilizing external resources, making a significant contribution to effectively controlling the Covid-19 pandemic and promoting socio-economic development. "Vaccine diplomacy" directly contributed to the successful implementation of the vaccination strategy, creating a foundation for repelling the Covid-19 pandemic. We have effectively utilized free trade agreements and new development trends to boost exports and imports, attract investment, and promote science and technology, contributing to maintaining macroeconomic stability, promoting economic growth, and making Vietnam a bright spot in the gloomy picture of the global economy.

Fifthly, Vietnam's international standing and prestige continue to be enhanced. Vietnam has been entrusted with many important international positions and responsibilities, especially in ASEAN and the United Nations, such as a non-permanent member of the Security Council, Vice President of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly, a member of the UN Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 term, the World Heritage Committee, the International Law Commission, etc. We actively contribute to common issues such as combating climate change, reducing emissions, sending officers and soldiers to participate in peacekeeping missions, and providing humanitarian assistance to countries affected by natural disasters and conflicts. It can be said that never before has the position, prestige, and image of an independent, self-reliant, dynamically developing Vietnam, a loyal and sincere friend, a reliable partner, and an active and responsible member, been as prominent on the international stage as it is today.

The aforementioned achievements are vivid evidence of the correct foreign policy of our Party and State, as well as the insightful and insightful leadership and guidance of the Central Party Committee, the Politburo, the Secretariat, and other Party and State leaders; they are the culmination of the efforts of all sectors, levels, and the entire political system, including the important contributions of foreign affairs agencies and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. These results affirm the unique identity of Vietnamese diplomacy, based on the foundation of Ho Chi Minh's diplomatic thought, imbued with the soul, character, spirit, and tradition of peaceful diplomacy of the nation, and selectively absorbing the finest ideas of humanity.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh welcomed Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet during his visit to Vietnam from December 11-12, 2023.

2023 marked a vibrant and eventful year in foreign relations amidst significant global changes. Could the Minister highlight the most notable and significant achievements of the past year? What were the factors that contributed to the success of foreign relations in 2023?

2023 was a vibrant year for foreign affairs with many notable milestones. First, bilateral and multilateral foreign relations continued to expand and deepen, with relations with many important partners reaching new heights and achieving qualitative advancements, particularly with neighboring countries, China, the United States, Japan, and many others. Foreign affairs activities, especially high-level diplomacy, were vibrant and widespread across continents and in many important multilateral forums and mechanisms such as ASEAN, the United Nations, the Mekong Subregion, APEC, AIPA, COP 28, and the BRI…

Over the past year, we successfully organized 15 overseas visits by key leaders and 21 visits by high-ranking leaders from other countries to Vietnam, affirming Vietnam's new stature and position in the world. We continue to play a leading role in important international organizations such as the United Nations Human Rights Council and UNESCO, as well as making positive and responsible contributions to global issues such as combating climate change, maintaining peace in Africa, and sending rescue and relief forces to Turkey.

Research, consultation, and forecasting on foreign affairs have yielded many important results. In the face of the highly complex international situation, the diplomatic sector, along with other sectors and levels, has advised the Politburo, the Secretariat, and the Government on many important foreign affairs projects, especially those related to developing relations with several key partners, ASEAN cooperation, the Mekong sub-region, and the approach to responding to initiatives from other countries…

Economic diplomacy continues to be promoted based on the spirit of Directive 15 of the Party Central Committee, with localities, businesses, and people at the center of service. Economic diplomacy activities have made important contributions to promoting economic growth, with exports and imports reaching nearly 700 billion USD in 2023, over 30 items having export turnover exceeding 1 billion USD, attracting FDI increasing by 14.8%, and accessing many new sources of quality capital in the context of a challenging global economy.

National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue presided over the welcoming ceremony for Indian House of Representatives Speaker Om Birla on April 19, 2022, during his official visit to Vietnam.

A peaceful and stable environment continues to be maintained for national development. Amidst the fluctuations of the international situation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, along with the Ministry of Defense, security, and other sectors and levels, persistently promote dialogue and negotiations to resolve border and territorial issues, and properly and promptly handle activities that infringe upon Vietnam's independence, sovereignty, rights, and legitimate interests.

Significant achievements have also been made in the fields of external information, cultural diplomacy, work related to Vietnamese people abroad, and citizen protection. In 2023, Ha Long Bay and Cat Ba Archipelago were recognized by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage site; two more cities, Da Lat and Hoi An, were recognized as UNESCO Creative Cities; and Vietnam was elected to important UNESCO bodies such as Vice President of the UNESCO General Assembly, Vice President of the Intergovernmental Committee of the Convention on the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage, and member of the World Heritage Committee for the 2023-2027 term... We have provided timely protection and safely repatriated many citizens, especially from areas affected by conflict and natural disasters.

The aforementioned results were achieved primarily thanks to the correct leadership of the Party, the centralized and effective management of the State; the unity and high determination and great efforts of the entire political system; the close and seamless coordination between Party diplomacy, state diplomacy, and people-to-people diplomacy; and between foreign affairs and national defense, security, economy, and socio-cultural affairs. Under the close leadership and guidance of the Politburo, the Secretariat, and the Government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has closely followed the foreign policy of the Party and the State, promoting the unique characteristics of "Vietnamese bamboo diplomacy," closely monitoring developments in the world and the region, "knowing oneself and others," "knowing the times and circumstances," being flexible and creative in strategy, handling foreign affairs issues according to the principle of "maintaining constancy while adapting to change," thereby implementing appropriate measures, taking advantage of opportunities and overcoming challenges to successfully complete foreign affairs tasks.

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son.

Minister, could you please tell us the main focus of the 32nd Diplomatic Conference?

The 32nd Diplomatic Conference is a significant event not only for the diplomatic sector but also for foreign affairs officials at central and local levels. The conference's theme, "Promoting the pioneering role, building a comprehensive, modern, and strong diplomatic system, and successfully implementing the Resolution of the 13th National Congress of the Party," clearly reflects the nature and central focus of the conference.

Besides assessing and forecasting the international situation, the Conference will comprehensively review and evaluate the results of the past two years of implementation and more than half of the term of implementing the Resolution of the 13th National Congress, drawing lessons learned, and seriously implementing important resolutions, conclusions, directives, and projects on foreign affairs issued by the Central Committee of the Party, the Politburo, and the Secretariat since the beginning of the term; thereby proposing key foreign affairs tasks and measures to focus on implementing until the end of the 13th term and in the following years. This Conference is also an opportunity for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to exchange views on some major and new issues in foreign affairs to contribute to the summary of 40 years of implementing the foreign policy during the Doi Moi (Renovation) period.

The conference also devoted considerable time to in-depth discussions on the direction, tasks, and solutions for the development of the diplomatic sector, especially key issues such as personnel work, Party building, foreign policy mechanisms, and reform of working methods, with the determination to build a strong, comprehensive, and modern diplomatic sector.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/cong-tac-doi-ngoai-va-ngoai-giao-diem-sang-noi-bat-trong-thanh-tuu-chung-cua-dat-nuoc-253972.html