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| General Secretary and President To Lam worked with the Party Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on implementing the Party's 13th National Congress's foreign policy guidelines and developing the diplomatic sector, August 29, 2024. (Photo: Nguyen Hong) |
President Ho Chi Minh once instructed: "Our Party is a ruling party." The historical practice of the past 95 years has affirmed the comprehensive and absolute leadership role of the Party as the key factor ensuring the victory of the Vietnamese Revolution.
Looking towards a new era, an era of national resurgence for Vietnam, General Secretary To Lam has written an important article titled "Continuing to vigorously innovate the Party's leadership and governance methods: an urgent requirement of the new revolutionary stage." The Party Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs recognizes this as both a heartfelt command and a guiding principle for action throughout the past and future journeys.
The first Party Congress of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is taking place at a historic time. 2025 marks the 135th anniversary of the birth of President Ho Chi Minh, the beloved leader of the entire nation and the architect of modern Vietnamese diplomacy, as well as the first Minister of Foreign Affairs. 2025 also commemorates the 80th anniversary of the founding of the nation and the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic sector. With this significance, the Congress will summarize the past term and set forth many important directions not only for the next term but also to lay the groundwork for many years to come.
Looking back at the 2020-2025 period, the global and regional situation has been complex and unpredictable. This was the first term in which the Party Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs merged with the Party Committee for Overseas Affairs, simultaneously merging the Central Committee's Foreign Affairs Department and taking over some functions and tasks of the National Assembly's Foreign Affairs Committee; and implemented comprehensive solutions to streamline the apparatus in accordance with the spirit of Resolution No. 18-NQ/TW of the Central Committee.
In this context, with strong political determination and high efforts, the diplomatic sector has seized opportunities, overcome challenges, and successfully implemented the Resolution of the 28th Congress of the Party Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, term 2020-2025, contributing to the successful implementation of the Resolution of the 13th National Congress of the Party.
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| On January 2, 2025, President Luong Cuong presented the Decision conferring the rank of Ambassador of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to the officials and civil servants of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who were appointed Ambassadors in 2024. (Photo: Tuan Anh) |
Party building is key
The Party Committee of the Ministry promptly advised the Central Committee to issue regulations on the functions and tasks of grassroots Party committees and branches operating abroad and the management of Party members overseas, creating a major transformation in the management of Party members.
The Party Committee of the Ministry and the Party Committee of the Ministry's leadership have consistently strengthened their leadership, guidance, and organization in disseminating and implementing the regulations of the Party and the State related to internal political security to Party organizations and Party members both domestically and abroad.
The work of preventing and combating corruption, waste and negativity is focused on; the regulations of the Party and the Central Steering Committee are disseminated and thoroughly implemented, and concretized into conclusions, resolutions, and directives... to strengthen leadership and direction; inspection, examination and supervision are strengthened; the effectiveness of the Ministry's Steering Committee on preventing and combating corruption, waste and negativity is improved; closely linked with the work of Party building and rectification and the building of the diplomatic sector is enhanced.
Inspection and supervision work has always been emphasized, clearly defining the inspections conducted by Party committees as compliance with Articles 30 and 32 of the Party Charter and thematic inspections; and the inspections conducted by inspection committees at all levels based on signs of violations by Party organizations and Party members. Timely advice was provided to the Secretariat to issue Regulation No. 141-QĐ/TW on the Party's inspection, supervision, and disciplinary work regarding Party organizations and members abroad, contributing to making Party building and rectification work more substantive and effective.
The Party's mass mobilization work has undergone many important changes, focusing on instilling and enhancing the spirit of serving the people, upholding discipline and order among cadres, civil servants, and workers in the performance of their duties; and effectively implementing Conclusion No. 12-KL/TW, dated August 12, 2021, of the Politburo on the work with overseas Vietnamese in the new situation.
Successfully completed the political task.
In leading the implementation of political tasks, right from the beginning of the term, the Party Committee coordinated with the Party Committee of the Ministry to lead and direct the institutionalization and concretization of the Party's 13th National Congress's foreign policy guidelines through many important resolutions, conclusions, directives, and projects.
In the implementation process, the Party Committee closely coordinated with the Party Committee of the Ministry to provide close leadership and guidance to the entire diplomatic sector, promoting its pioneering role and implementing comprehensively and effectively all foreign affairs activities across the three pillars of Party diplomacy, State diplomacy, and people-to-people diplomacy.
In particular, since the merger of the Foreign Affairs Department, the Party Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has played a leading and guiding role in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the sole specialized agency advising the Party and the State on strategic direction, organization, implementation, and unified management of foreign affairs activities across all three pillars; ensuring uninterrupted work and improving the effectiveness of the Party's foreign affairs work with new content, forms, and methods, achieving qualitative progress.
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| At the 32nd Diplomatic Conference, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh presented Certificates of Commendation from the Prime Minister to collectives and individuals of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who have achieved outstanding results in their respective fields of work, on December 21, 2023. (Photo: Tuan Anh) |
Looking back at the work of the 2020-2025 term, the outstanding achievements can be seen as follows:
Firstly, the Party Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has actively contributed to institutionalizing and concretizing key and breakthrough tasks through action programs and specialized resolutions to lead, guide, and achieve many tangible results. The role and responsibility of the Party committees and their leaders have been enhanced, the fighting spirit of the Party organizations has been improved; democracy, solidarity, and unity within the Party Committee have been emphasized.
Secondly, consistently focusing on strengthening Party building in terms of politics, ideology, ethics, organization, and personnel, the Party has achieved many positive results with many innovative approaches in content and methods. It has proactively advised the Politburo and the Secretariat to issue documents on Party building, Party member management, and inspection and supervision work abroad.
Thirdly, strategic planning and comprehensive, effective organization of foreign affairs activities on all three pillars have been carried out. Thanks to this, foreign affairs work has been assessed by the Party and State leaders as having “achieved many important results and achievements of historical significance, becoming an impressive highlight in the overall results and achievements of the country in recent years” [[1]].
Fourth, the quality of the sector's development work has been continuously improved in a professional, modern, and comprehensive direction. The diplomatic sector has truly set a leading example, effectively implementing General Secretary To Lam's directive on contributing to building a streamlined, strong, efficient, effective, and effective apparatus.
The lessons learned from this success are thanks to the Party Committee of the Ministry and Party committees at all levels, both domestically and internationally, consistently identifying Party building in terms of politics as crucial, steadfastly adhering to Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh Thought; steadfastly pursuing the goal of national independence linked with socialism; steadfastly following the reform line; steadfastly upholding the Party's principles; and protecting the Party's Platform, Charter, Constitution, and laws.
Besides the achievements mentioned above, the Party Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also frankly acknowledged some shortcomings and limitations: Political and ideological education, the organization and implementation of Party directives and resolutions, regulations on Party activities, and inspection and supervision abroad have sometimes been ineffective. The implementation of agreements and commitments has not been as desired, and the potential in relations with partners has not been fully exploited.
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| On January 19, 2025, at the National Assembly building, National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man met with the overseas Vietnamese community attending the "Spring in the Homeland" program in 2025. (Photo: Quochoi.vn) |
A new era, a new determination.
In the coming period, the new context and new responsibilities will place many heavy tasks on the entire diplomatic sector. Domestically, after nearly 40 years of Doi Moi (Renovation), the country's foundation, potential, position, and international prestige have been enhanced, but difficulties, challenges, and the risk of falling further behind still exist.
The Party Committee of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the 2025-2030 term has identified the need to further enhance its leadership and guidance role throughout the entire sector in implementing comprehensively and effectively all foreign affairs activities across the three pillars of Party diplomacy, State diplomacy, and people-to-people diplomacy, with the following key tasks:
Firstly, we must promote the crucial and ongoing role of foreign affairs and international integration in creating and maintaining a peaceful and stable environment, and in maximizing external resources and favorable conditions to serve the country's strategic goals; affirming the role of foreign affairs and international integration as an important driving force in the cause of national construction and defense.
Secondly, we must deepen, stabilize, strengthen, and sustain long-term relations with partners, especially neighboring countries, regional partners, major powers, and important and potentially promising partners; increase the intertwining of strategic interests with partners; and effectively and substantively implement the upgrading of relations with partners in accordance with the established policies and roadmap.
Thirdly, we must strengthen economic diplomacy to serve development, contributing to the achievement of development goals by 2030 and 2045. We must focus on maximizing and leveraging the comparative advantages of diplomacy in the synchronized and effective implementation of the "Four Pillars" and other important resolutions, conclusions, and directives of the Central Party Committee and the Politburo in the new era.
Fourth, resolutely and persistently defend the independence, sovereignty, unity, territorial integrity, and legitimate rights and interests of Vietnam in the East Sea on the basis of international law; maintain and develop a peaceful, friendly, cooperative, and developing border, contributing to maintaining a peaceful, stable, and favorable environment for national development.
Fifth, continue to strengthen and elevate multilateral diplomacy, ready to play a core, leading, and mediating role in accordance with the country's specific capabilities, conditions, and interests; proactively and actively participate in building a fair and equitable international order based on international law; and effectively implement major multilateral responsibilities, especially APEC in 2027 and ASEAN Chairmanship in 2029.
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| Deputy Prime Minister, Party Secretary, and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son chaired the third meeting of the Party Committee Executive Board on June 17. (Photo: Thanh Long) |
Sixth, promptly and effectively implement important areas of foreign affairs work such as work related to overseas Vietnamese, cultural diplomacy, foreign information and propaganda, citizen protection, and local foreign affairs. Continuously improve the quality of research, forecasting, and advisory work for Party and State leaders on foreign affairs.
Seventh, further enhance the effectiveness of coordination among the pillars of Party foreign affairs, State diplomacy, and people-to-people diplomacy; between forces engaged in foreign affairs work at the central and local levels; and between defense, security, economy, culture and society, and foreign affairs to create a synergistic strength. Continue to prioritize reviewing and urging the implementation of international commitments and agreements.
Eighth, enhance the leadership capacity and fighting strength of the Party organization and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Strengthen the management of Party members abroad and internal political security work. Continue to fight to prevent and repel the decline in political ideology, morality, and lifestyle, and the manifestations of "self-evolution" and "self-transformation" within the Party; improve the effectiveness and efficiency of Party inspection, supervision, and discipline; resolutely and persistently promote the fight against corruption, waste, and negative phenomena. Continue to build a team of diplomatic officials who are both politically sound and professionally competent, possessing firm political acumen, professional demeanor, and expertise to meet all the requirements of the new era.
Looking forward to the historical milestones of the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day on September 2nd, and the 80th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic sector, all cadres and Party members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are determined to successfully implement the Resolution of the 14th National Party Congress, the resolution and action program of the 1st Party Congress of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, maintain the title of a clean, strong, and comprehensive Party Committee, successfully carry out all foreign affairs tasks entrusted by the Party, State, and people, and make a worthy contribution to the building and protection of the socialist Vietnamese Fatherland.
[1] Speech by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong at the 32nd Diplomatic Conference (Hanoi, December 19, 2023).
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/phat-huy-vai-role-su-menh-moi-cua-dang-bo-bo-ngoai-giao-trong-ky-nguyen-vuon-minh-cua-dan-toc-321046.html
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