Vietnam ready for greater role
In the year 2007, the diplomatic service, building on the country’s new position and successes obtained in 2006, harvested important achievements and greatly contributed to the country’s common successes.
In an interview granted to Vietnam News Agency, Deputy Prime Minister-Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Gia Khiem affirmed those tremendous contributions, set the New Year’s tasks for the country’s diplomats and signalled Vietnam’s intention to play a more active role in world affairs in 2008.

Outstanding features of the diplomatic service in 2007
First of all, the diplomatic service contributed to bringing the friendship and the framework for co-operation with many countries, especially important partners, to new heights and opened new opportunities for co-operation with potential partners.
The ministry had also helped firmly safeguard the nation’s sovereignty, security and territorial integrity and effectively countered intervention and sabotage.
The hard work of Viet Nam’s diplomats was reflected in the record amount of foreign direct investment and official development assistance as well as the growth of trade, tourism, labour export and foreign remittances.
Multilateral activities had resulted in the overwhelming vote to elect Viet Nam as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the term 2008-2009.
Important gains in the protection of  overseas Vietnamese were the results of policies and concrete measures adopted by the Government, including the Prime Minister’s decision to exempt visas for overseas Vietnamese, measures to protect legitimate interests of the Vietnamese community, including Vietnamese businesses, entrepreneurs, labourers and citizens abroad.
The external information and cultural service had made constant efforts to promote the image of a dynamic, renewed, friendly and loyal Viet Nam which is a safe destination for travel and doing business.

Economic Diplomacy
The year 2007 had been chosen as the year of economic diplomacy and the linkage between external political affairs and external economic performance had been made more effective.
A series of visits by Party, State and Government representatives to numerous countries had lifted Viet Nam’s relationship with these countries and secured economic deals worth dozens of billions of US dollars.
The foreign ministry had also made recommendations and organised for Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung’s participation in the World Economic Forum at Davos. And the result had been a real chance for Viet Nam to host a world economic forum for East Asia in 2009 and others activities of the world’s famous CEOs in the coming years.
The foreign ministry had advised the government about ways to draw investments from the Middle East region and this helped create unprecedented interest from the Middle East and African countries in    multi-faceted relations with Vietnam.
Besides, the foreign ministry, for the first time,  organised an external economic promotion programme for seven poor northern provinces and the port city of Hai Phong in China’s Yunnan, Guangxi and Guangdong provinces.
The foreign ministry also in co-ordination with Da Nang and other localities organised the East-West Economic Corridor Week.
The foreign ministry also took initiative in hosting major delegations who visited Viet Nam to seek business and investment opportunities in Viet Nam last year.
Perform well the role as an UN Security Council non-permanent member
Viet Nam had decided to become a Security-Council candidate in 1997 and had made meticulous preparations for its successful bid, and now to be able to perform well the role of a non-permanent member.

Regarding the decision making mechanism, we have studied, constantly updated with information and consulted other countries, especially the UN Security Council members, on the issues that the UN Security Council is considering. By doing so, we systematise our basic viewpoints and work out proper handling methods. In addition, we have decentralised the decision making process to ensure decisions are made quickly while still ensuring national interests and responsibility to the international community.
On organisational work, we have developed synchronous and tight coordination mechanisms, including a mechanism for ministries, boards, branches and inter-department working groups in the foreign ministry, and another for the foreign ministry and the Vietnamese delegation to the UN. We have planned, and in fact, have pushed up consultancy and the sharing of information at the capital and representative mission levels with both members and non-members of the UN Security Council, especially with all the five UN Security Council permanent members.
On the personnel issue, we had sent our staff to both domestic and foreign training courses to improve their skills related to multilateral diplomacy and understanding on the issues relating to the organisation and functions of the UN Security Council.
Thanks to all this, we will surely fulfill our responsibility as the UN Security Council non-permanent member in the 2008-2009 period, and actively contribute to peace, stability and development in the world.

Orientations for the year 2008
In the year 2008, the country’s diplomatic service and diplomats need to make more efforts to serve the country’s more active role in world affairs.
The effort would be based on five orientations as follows:
Firstly, continue to strengthen, complete and elevate co-operation with other countries;
Bring into full play Viet Nam’s role as non-permanent United Nations Security Council member;
Take a more active part in multilateral forums in the region and the world; and
Enthusiastically join the settlement of global issues so as to heighten the nation’s prestige and status.
Secondly, strengthen external activities in the service of the economy; deploy the Government’s action plan to implement the 10th Viet Nam Communist Party Central Committee’s Resolution 4 for the quick, sustainable development of the national economy; and accelerate multilateral co-operation in culture, education, science and technology.
Thirdly, strive to complete the demarcation of boundaries and the planting of landmarks with neigh-bouring countries before the end of the year;
Fourthly, continue to quicken implementation of the Politburo’s resolution and the Government’s action plan for overseas Vietnamese;
Reinforce the protection of citizens with the creation of favourable conditions for overseas Vietnamese to successfully integrate into their host countries while contributing to the national construction and defence of their homeland.
Fifthly, reinforce the efforts to renew and increase the efficiency of the ministry’s external information and cultural services in collaboration with external political and economic tasks.
(Source: website TTXVN, Vietnamnet, MOFA)