PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc on March 15 chaired a meeting on rice sustainable development in the Mekong Delta, which is organized in Long Xuyen, An Giang Province.

The event attracted  the participation of leaders from ministries, agencies and localities, businessmen, professionals and scientists.

Delegates at the meeting agreed that rice continues to making crucial contribution to the national food security in the context of high population, decrease in agricultural land, urbanization and climate change.

They analyzed objective and subjective factors in rice production and consumption and propose measures for rice sustainable development in the future.

Deputy PM, FM Pham Binh Minh and Cambodian Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Prak Sokhonn co-chaired the 15th meeting of the Viet Nam-Cambodia Joint Committee on Economic, Culture and Scientific and Technological Cooperation on March 15 in Phnom Penh.

In the future, they agreed to accelerate cooperation in education, economics, trade and investment, helping businesses overcome difficulties, effectively launching licensed projects and soon signing cooperative agreements to raise the two-way trade to US$5 billion.

They were unanimous in effectively implementing the agreement on reciprocal encouragement and protection of investments, the border trade agreement, agreement on labor cooperation and the memorandum of understanding on transport in the 2017-2025 phase, with a vision to 2030.

Viet Nam and Cambodia affirmed their determination to soon completing border marker planting to establish a border of peace, stability, cooperation and development.

Deputy PM, FM Pham Binh Minh on March 15 met President of the Cambodian National Assembly Samdech Heng Samrin in Phnom Penh on the occasion of his visit to co-chair the two nations’ cooperative mechanisms.

The Deputy PM conveyed Vietnamese high-ranking leaders’ greetings to the President of the Cambodian National Assembly (NA) and congratulated him on huge success and achievements of Cambodia over recent years.

The Deputy PM suggested the Cambodian NA continue making it easier for Vietnamese businesses to invest in Cambodia and Overseas Vietnamese to stabilize their lives in Cambodia, contributing to the prosperity of Cambodia and the two nations’ relationship.

President Samdech Heng Samrin appraised the active developments in the two nations’ relations in the context of complex situations, expecting that the two sides’ relations will be promoted in the future.

Deputy PM Trinh Dinh Dung on March 15 hosted a reception for Russian counterpart Yuri Petrovich Trutnev on the occasion of the Russian high-ranking delegation’s working visit to Viet Nam.

The Deputy PM hailed the working sessions of the Russian delegation with the Vietnamese ministries and agencies, especially the exchanges with large businesses to introduce the potentials, advantages and policies in attracting investment in the Russian Far East.

Deputy PM Dung supposed that the two sides need to strengthen the provision of information on cooperative potentials and preferential mechanisms for their businesses as well as enable their enterprises to seek further cooperation and investment in the Far East.  

The Government has issued Decree No. 26/2017/NĐ-CP stipulating the functions, tasks, rights and organization of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).

Accordingly, the ministry realizes the State management functions in terms of diplomacy, including borders, national territory, diplomatic works with Overseas Vietnamese, signing and implementing international conventions and agreements, monitoring Viet Nam’s representative agencies abroad and controlling public services under its management.

The MFA hosts and coordinates with other agencies to inspect and evaluate Viet Nam’s border management situations, national territory, space, seas, islands and continental shelf, address disputes, struggle to protect territorial border and integrity, sovereign rights and national jurisdiction and propose suitable management guidelines, policies and measures.

Legal aid measures are being prepared to protect legitimate interests of Doan Thi Huong, a suspect in the death of Democratic People’s Republic of Korean citizen Kim Chol, according to Viet Nam’s Foreign Ministry.

As requested by Huong and her family, the Vietnamese Embassy and the Viet Nam Bar Federation have been coordinating with relevant agencies and the bar association of Malaysia to arrange the assistance.

Later the same day, representatives of the Foreign Ministry’s Consular Department informed Huong’sfamily in Nam Dinh province about her situation.

Viet Nam spent US$164 million importing vegetables and fruits during Jan-Feb, a year-on-year increase of 54.7%, the General Department of Customs said.

Most imports were from Thailand, which accounted for 50% or US$82 million, and China, which stood at 19% or US$31 million, of the total vegetable and fruit imports.

Other major markets that Viet Nam has imported vegetables and fruits from are the U.S. for a value of US$13 million, New Zealand for US$3.8 million and Australia for US$2.5 million.