Diplomatic sector to focus on serving development: Deputy Foreign Minister

He said guiding by the spirit, the conference has decided on a number of key tasks for the time ahead based on thorough discussion of the regional and world situation. 

First of all, in the context of rapid and complicated changes in the world situation, the diplomatic sector must lead in efforts to maintain a peaceful and stable environment and mobilize both internal strength and external resources for the country’s development.   

Second, the sector must conduct research in order to give advice and forecast to the Party, State, Government and related ministries and sectors in implementing socio-economic development. The Deputy FM stressed that the sector must make accurate and feasible recommendations to the making of policies on external relations and their implementation. 

Third, the sector should take strong action in economic diplomacy to serve national development. 

Deputy FM Son noted that at the plenary session chaired by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, the PM gave specific instructions on economic diplomacy and diplomacy serving development. He laid emphasis on two points, one of which is to make the people and business the centre and subject of service, and the second is to combine all diplomatic channels and security-defence to create synergistic strength to maintain a peaceful and stable environment for national development. 

The official added that the diplomatic sector will also work in a concerted manner in all the fields of cultural diplomacy, overseas Vietnamese affairs, citizen protection and external information work. 

An important outcome of the conference is a specific programme to build a streamlined but effective apparatus of the foreign ministry which is able to meet the requirements of the work in the new situation. 

Elaborating on the notion of diplomacy serving development, the Deputy FM said the diplomatic sector has been doing several tasks since the 29th conference. 

The sector has conducted market research and provided update information for the business community about markets in the world, based on the advantage of diplomatic representative offices in most countries, and it will continue with the work in the time ahead. 

The sector will also work together with the business community to make inroad into new markets, 

At the request of the business community, the Foreign Ministry will collect more information and make assessment on foreign markets to supply to the business community. 

According to Deputy Minister Son, the Foreign Ministry has assisted several domestic companies in their efforts to expand to foreign markets, such as the military run telecom corporation Viettel, the low-cost airline Vietjet Air, or dairy giant TH True Milk. 

The 30th Diplomatic Conference took place in Hanoi from August 13-17. The five-day event reviewed the recent implementation of external affairs, analysed the regional and international situation as well as opportunities and challenges facing Vietnam, and proposed some countermeasures. 

Deputy FM Son stressed that Party and State leaders highly appreciate the performance of the diplomatic sector over the past more than two years, which, they said, have significantly contributed to the nation’s achievements in implementing the external relation guidelines in particular and the resolution of the 12th Party Congress in general.