(VOV) – On June 1, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his delegation returned to the home country, successfully concluding their attendance at the 12th Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore.
During his stay, in the capacity as invited guest and major speaker of the Dialogue, PM Dung delivered an opening keynote speech at the 12th Asian Security Summit, paid a courtesy call to the host country’s President Tony Tan Keng Yam and met its Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Before his departure, Dung also worked with Singapore’s leading businesses.
In his keynote address, Dung has called for the combined efforts to build and consolidate strategic trust for peace, cooperation, development and prosperity in the Asia-Pacific region on the basis of international law.
He emphasised the upholding of responsibilities of all nations in the region, especially major powers.
The PM emphasized that above all, the most important factors in building strategic trust are honesty and sincerity in the relations and cooperation among countries as well as in cooperation in dealing with common challenges in the region.
He highlighted the indispensable role and contributions of an unanimous and united ASEAN and its central role in many multilateral cooperation forums.
Concerning the East Sea issue, PM Dung affirmed the significance of peace, stability, maritime security and safety in the East Sea.
ASEAN and China need to raise high their responsibility and work together to reinforce strategic trust, with the first evidence of this being the strict implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and efforts to build a Code of Conduct in the East Sea at an early date in line with international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS), said the PM.
He said that ASEAN and its partners can work together to develop a feasible mechanism that could guarantee maritime security, safety and freedom in the region, helping maintain peace, stability and development cooperation in the region and the world.
The Vietnamese Government leader stated that Vietnam consistently pursues a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralism and diversification of relations, being a friend and reliable partner of all nations, and a responsible member of the international community.
Vietnam has spared no efforts to build and deepen mutually beneficial strategic partnerships and cooperative partnerships with other countries, said PM Dung, stressing his country’s desire to establish strategic partnerships with all the permanent members of the UN Security Council once the principles of independence, sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of each other, mutual respect, equal and mutually beneficial cooperation are committed to and seriously implemented.
He affirmed that Vietnam ‘s defence policy is that of peace and self-defence. “Vietnam will not be a military ally to any country and will not allow any country to set up military bases on Vietnamese territory, and will not ally itself with any country to counter another”, he said.
On the occasion, Dung also announced that Vietnam has decided to take part in United Nations peace-keeping activities, firstly in engineering, army medical care and military observation.
Vietnam , Singapore move towards strategic partnership
At the meeting with PM Dung, President Tony Tan affirmed that Singapore attaches much importance to and praised Vietnam’s role in the region. He recalled good memories of his visit to Vietnam in April 2012, expressing wish that the Vietnamese people will reap greater achievements in their national construction and development.
PM Nguyen Tan Dung (L) and Singapore President Tony Tan Keng Yam Photo: VGP The leaders expressed their delight at the developing friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries over the past years, especially when Vietnam and Singapore are celebrating the 40th anniversary of their diplomatic ties (1973-2013) and looking towards the establishment of a strategic partnership.
The two sides also pledged to continue strengthening cooperation at regional and international forums for the interests of each country’s people as well as for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world.
Meeting with PM Lee Hsien Loong, PM Dung thanked his Singaporean counterpart and the organisers of the 12th Shangri La Dialogue for inviting him to deliver a keynote address at the event. He spoke highly of the significance of the dialogue, describing it as a chance for Vietnam to share its views on regional and international security issues.
The two PMs said they are pleased with the strong, rapid, dynamic and effective development of the comprehensive cooperation between the two countries during the past time.
PM Nguyen Tan Dung and his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong Photo: VGP Singapore has always been one of Vietnam’s leading investors and trade partners despite the gloomy global and regional economic situations, they noted, citing that two-way trade has increased year on year, hitting US$9.6 billion in 2012.
Singapore businesses now have 1,173 projects in Vietnam with a total registered investment of US 27 billion. In particular, the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Park (VSIP) has been a success and expanded to Vietnam ‘s northern and central regions.
The two sides confirmed that they will further promote cooperation in the areas of defence, security, culture, education, construction and tourism.
They also applauded relevant agencies of both sides for completing a Joint Statement on the establishment of the strategic partnership, which is expected to be signed during PM Lee’s visit to Vietnam later this year.
Both sides agreed to continue working closely in the negotiation process for a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement.
Besides, the two PMs also discussed a number of regional and international issues of mutual concern. They agreed that ASEAN should exert more efforts to maintain internal solidarity, while nurturing a high political will to successfully build an ASEAN Community by 2015 and promote its central role.
Regarding Vietnam’s message to the 12th Shangri La Dialogue, PM Dung shared the main contents of his speech at the dialogue, which calls upon all countries to respect international law and together build strategic trust for peace and prosperity of the whole Asia-Pacific region.
Both the Singaporean President and Prime Minister lauded and agreed with Vietnam’s viewpoint, which they said is suitable and crucial to the current general situation in the region, practically contributing to an Asia-Pacific region of peace, stability, cooperation and development.
Concerning the East Sea issue, the Singaporean leaders agreed on the importance of ensuring peace, stability, maritime security and safety in the East Sea, while sharing the same opinion that all relevant parties should act with restraint and settle all disputes peacefully in accordance with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS), the Declaration on Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and ASEAN’s Six-Point Principles on the East Sea issue, looking towards the early formation of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).
On the occasion, PM Dung and his Singaporean counterpart witnessed the granting of a supplementary licence of the Dung Quat Thermal Power Plant project in Vietnam’s central Quang Ngai province to Singapore’s Sembcorp Group.
With total investment of around US$ 2 billion, the plant has a capacity of 1,200 MW and is being constructed in the Dung Quat Economic Zone. This is the second project funded by Sembcorp in Quang Ngai.
Đăng ký: VietNam News
