Political Headlines December 30 Party leader lauds army for fulfilling key peace-time duties The Vietnamese army has the crucial peace-time role of safeguarding security and ensuring a peaceful environment for national development, Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong said on Saturday.   Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong said the army's responsibilities at this time include upholding the revolutionary cause of the Party and people, maintaining its strong will to fight and win, and being politically firm. He said the army's responsibilities at this time include upholding the revolutionary cause of the Party and people, maintaining its strong will to fight and win, and being politically firm. The army must remain active in thwarting the schemes of hostile forces to destabilise the country through "peaceful evolution," he said at a two-day conference of the Party Central Committee's Central Military Commission. Trong said that the entire political apparatus, armed forces and public have to safeguard the nation's sovereignty and territorial integrity. He said the nation should also work to preserve socialism and other revolutionary achievements while ensuring an environment of peace for national construction and development. Trong, who is also secretary of the commission, said bilateral and multilateral initiatives related to national defense should be speeded up, and agreements signed with international organisations and other countries implemented effectively. He said that the army can remain revolutionary and professional, and become an elite and modern force only by practicing thrift, avoiding wastefulness, consistently carrying out studies, improving training regimens as well as logistical and technological capabilities. The army should also maintain tight discipline, he said. The Party leader asked the army to continue working with authorities and organisations at all levels to help implement socio-economic development programmes, support local residents develop production, reduce poverty and improve their living conditions, particularly in border areas and islands. "The army must play the role of a core force in the fight against natural calamities and rescue work. This is one of its tasks in the time of peace," he said. Apart from reviewing the commission's work in 2013 and setting tasks for next year, the conference, which ended yesterday, Dec 29, also reviewed 10 years of implementing a co-operation programme between the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Science and Technology. Enhancing people-to-people external relations in new period The Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) and its members will continue the task of boosting people-to-people diplomacy in order to expand and diversify the friendship and cooperation with people in other nations. VUFO Chairman Vu Xuan Hong has told the press on the key tasks of the people-to-people diplomacy in the coming time on the thresholds of the union’s fifth National Congress to be held in Hanoi on December 30. According to the Chairman, the Congress which will discuss orientation for the next five years (2013-2018), takes place at an important moment of the country. The Party and State’s external relations have been implemented synchronously and comprehensively, contributing to maintaining a peaceful and stable environment for national development, he said. The country has paid attention to deepening ties with neighbouring and regional countries, consolidating the relations with traditional friends, maintaining positive relationship with strategic partners and creating new developments in its cooperation with large partners. At the time the country is integrating intensively and extensively into the international community, people-to-people relations have been expanded at all levels and sectors, he noted. The Chairman also stressed the importance of people-to-people diplomacy in the country’s external policy. From 2008 to June 2013, the VUFO mobilised 1.4 billion USD from international NGOs to implement 15,000 projects and programmes on such issues as poverty reduction, sustainable community development, health care, education, environmental protection and emergency aid, he said. The union will continue to implement a national programme to mobilise assistance from NGOs in the 2013-2017 period, consolidate the relationship with those who are conducting projects in Vietnam and expand relations with potential NGOs for further financial support, Hong added. Cambodian PM wraps up Vietnam visit Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen on December 28 concluded his three-day official visit to Vietnam at the invitation of his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung. While in Vietnam, PM Hun Sen held talks with PM Dung and met with National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung. He also paid courtesy visits to Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and President Truong Tan Sang. At the meetings, the two sides briefed each other on each country’s situation and voiced their resolve to deepen and elevate the friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries to a new height in the years to come. They consented to facilitate exchange of visits between the two countries’ high-ranking leaders as well as between ministries, branches, localities and organisations in order to raise mutual understanding. They will also partner with each other to deepen all-round cooperation, particularly in border trade, tourism, telecommunications, aviation, banking, oil and gas, industrial plant farming and agriculture. Both agreed to raise the two-way trade to 5 billion USD in 2015 and pledged all possible support to Vietnamese businesses in Cambodia, for the benefit of the two peoples. The leaders reached a consensus on stronger cooperation in national defence and security as well as the fight against terrorism, cross-border crimes, smuggling, drug and human trafficking. They reiterated the principle of not allowing any hostile forces to use one’s territory to sabotage security of the other and interfere in the other’s internal affairs. They also reaffirmed the two Governments’ determination to complete the land border demarcation work at an early date, contributing to building a common border line of peace, friendship, stability and development. The Vietnamese side hailed the Cambodian Government’s cooperation in ensuring legitimate rights of overseas Vietnamese people in the country. Both sides vowed favourable conditions for each other’s overseas people in the other. Regarding the Eat Sea issue, the leaders consented to uphold ASEAN’s common stance mentioned in the Six-Point Principle on the East Sea, placing importance on maintaining peace and stability in the East Sea, settling disputes by peaceful means in line with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea while speeding up the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea and the formulation of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea between ASEAN and China at an early date. Sharing their viewpoints on regional and global issues, both host and guest committed to working closely together at multilateral frameworks like the United Nations, ASEAN and other regional and sub-regional cooperation mechanisms. During his stay in Vietnam, PM Hun Sen witnessed the signing of 10 cooperation deals between the two countries on various areas. He also met with former Vietnamese experts and volunteers who fought side-by-side with the Cambodian people, and Vietnamese investors in Cambodia. On this occasion, the Cambodian leader visited the central city of Da Nang.     President attends opening of Da Lat tourism week State President Truong Tan Sang yesterday attended the opening ceremony of the fifth Da Lat Culture and Tourism Week in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong, praising the city for its beauty and and hospitality. Sang stressed that Da Lat and Lam Dong Province were part of the region's revolutionary tradition, and held potential for economic development and unique tangible and intangible heritages. Central Highland gong culture has been recognised by UNESCO as an Intangible Heritage of Humanity since 2005. Sang said that there was great potential to develop tourism in the Central Highlands, especially in Da Lat and Lam Dong. The President asked local authorities and the people of the city, province and region to develop and contribute to the country's industrialisation and modernisation process and international integration. At the ceremony, Chairman of Lam Dong People's Committee Nguyen Xuan Tien said the festival aimed to showcase tourism in Da Lat, and honour the city's flower growers. He said the 120 year-old city had become an eco-tourism hub and a centre for education and training, focusing on green growth, sustainable development and traditional hospitality. Attending the ceremony were former State Presidents Tran Duc Luong and Nguyen Minh Triet, leaders of ministries, cities and provinces, international guests and members of the public. Ministry announces central region development plan The North Central and Central Coastal Region will be further developed to become a convenient gateway for Vietnamese goods destined for Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar. This is part of a government’s master plan on socio-economic development in the region until 2020, which was announced by the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Khanh Hoa provincial People’s Committee in Nha Trang City on December 27. Under the plan, priority will be given to investment in four areas in the region, including the central key economic area that comprises the provinces of Thua Thien-Hue, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai and Binh Dinh and the city of Da Nang. The plan also focuses on upgrading central urban areas in the cities of Da Nang, Hue (Thua Thien-Hue Province), Vinh (Nghe An Province) and Nha Trang (Khanh Hoa Province). Economic zones such as Chu Lai in Quang Nam province, Dung Quat in Quang Ngai province and Lao Bao in Quang Tri province will be upgraded in line with economic restructuring in the localities. Additionally, more attention will be paid to improving roads, seaports, airports, irrigation works, the power system and infrastructure in the region, while focus will be placed on aquaculture, service and tourism development. Viet Nam, Laos reaffirm pledge to enhance security co-operation Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong has emphasised the need to strengthen co-operation between Viet Nam and Laos to protect national and public security, as well as to implement the agreements signed by the two governments. Trong made his comments at a meeting with the Laotian delegation led by the Minister of Public Security, Thongbanh Seng Aphone, who is also Secretary of the Central Committee of the Laos People's Revolutionary Party. The party leader expressed his appreciation of the solidarity and special relationship between Viet Nam and Laos, including the relationship between the public security forces on both sides. He added that he also appreciated the Laotian delegation's working visit to Viet Nam, as well as the co-operation between the ministries of both countries in the past. Minister Thongbanh Seng Aphone said that his ministry would co-ordinate closely with its Vietnamese counterpart to implement agreements signed by both nations to uphold the political security, order and safety in each country. VNN/VNS/VNA