PM’s working trip to UN headquarters is fruitful bilaterally, multilaterally: official

The Government leader engaged in an array of activities, including delivering a speech at the general debate of the UN General Assembly’s 73rd session and having meetings with President of the UN General Assembly Maria Fernanda Espinosa Garces, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and leaders of five countries. He also joined a discussion with major US businesses and met US friends of Vietnam and representatives of Vietnam’s permanent mission to the UN and the Vietnamese community in New York.

Deputy Minister Nga said the working trip was of special importance, elaborating that the delegation’s participation in the general debate, meetings and other activities demonstrated that Vietnam is an active and responsible member of the UN and has a consistent policy of respecting multilateral mechanisms with the UN playing the central role in international relations.

The 73rd session of the UN General Assembly was themed “Making the United Nations Relevant to All People: Global Leadership and Shared Responsibilities for Peaceful, Equitable and Sustainable Societies.”

She said this theme matches Vietnam’s current priority, which is building a growth-enabling and action-oriented government that serves people and puts people in the centre of the policy making and implementation process.

The Vietnamese delegation’s activeness in this biggest forum of the world is a step to realise the foreign policy of peace, cooperation and development, multilateralisation and diversification of external relations, and active integration into the world, thereby showing the country’s strong commitments to the UN’s common goals and its support for multilateralism and the pivotal role of the UN. This holds a great significance as the multilateralism and multilateral mechanisms are facing numerous challenges, she noted.

Vietnam came to this time’s session as the sole candidate of the Asia-Pacific for non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council for the 2020 – 2021 term. Taking part in the session was a chance for the country to perform the duties of a candidate and persuade other nations to support it in the election in June next year, Nga said.

Highlighting the short but fruitful working visit, the official said PM Phuc and other members of the delegation conveyed a strong message to the session that Vietnam pledges to exert every effort to contribute more effectively to the international community’s common affairs and to realise the UN’s common goals for a world of peace, cooperation and development and an international political and economic order that is equitable, democratic, and based on rules.

PM Phuc met with the President of the UN General Assembly, the UN Secretary-General and leaders of Cuba, Bulgaria, Croatia, Fiji and Saint Lucia. 

Meanwhile, Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh had bilateral meetings with the President of Palau, the foreign ministers of Australia, Ukraine, Slovakia, Slovenia, Uganda, Ecuador, Malta, Morocco, Albania, El Salvador and Canada, and the US Deputy Secretary of State. He also chaired a meeting with over 100 senior officials and diplomats of other countries to call for their support for Vietnam’s candidacy for non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council in 2020 – 2021.

Deputy Minister Nga said the leaders of the UN and many countries affirmed the wish to enhance cooperation with Vietnam and showed their support for it to play a greater role in the UN and the region.

During the trip, the delegation attended a seminar on investment in Vietnam in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution that attracted executives of more than 40 major businesses. PM Phuc also received leaders of some big companies, US friends and representatives of the Vietnamese community in the US.

US businesses said Vietnam is a dynamic and promising market, thanked the Government for its support and also straightforwardly discussed investment and businesses opportunities and challenges in the country. The PM appreciated opinions of the US firms and the expatriates, and assigned ministers to remove obstacles and create the best possible conditions for foreign firms to invest and do business and for overseas Vietnamese to contribute to the homeland, Nga said.

She noted the trip was successful in both bilateral and multilateral aspects, thus substantially helping to reinforce Vietnam’s relations with the UN and member states, strengthen international friends’ trust in the country, and promote its prestige in the international arena.