VOV.VN - Vietnam has welcomed many foreign leaders and it has been elected to many important international organisations over the past few years, showing the country’s enhanced status and prestige globally, said Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son.

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son of Vietnam

Talking to the press ahead of the 32nd national diplomatic conference in Hanoi on December 18-23, Son revealed that the past two years saw key Vietnamese leaders make 45 working trips to neighboring countries, traditional friends, and strategic partner countries, including a historic visit to China by Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong.

Meanwhile, world leaders paid nearly 50 trips to Vietnam in the reviewed period, including visits by Chinese Party General Secretary and President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden.

These activities create new qualitative developments in Vietnam’s foreign affairs and international integration, said the diplomat chief, adding that the relationship between Vietnam and many important partners has been raised to new heights, with political trust firmly consolidated, and cooperation increasingly expanded.

According to the Foreign Minister, Vietnam’s reputation has increasingly been elevated after it was elected to many important international positions, especially in ASEAN and the United Nations such as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, vice chair of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly, member of the United Nations Human Rights Council for the 2023-2025 term, member of the World Heritage Committee, and member of the International Law Committee.

Vietnam has made an active contribution to common issues, such as combating climate change, cutting greenhouse gas emissions, sending officers and soldiers to UN peacekeeping missions, and providing humanitarian support to countries suffering from natural disasters or conflicts.

In his view, the Minister said although the world has gone through complicated changes, Vietnam has properly handled foreign affairs and relations with partners on the basis of independence, self-reliance, and peace, and at the same time flexibility in strategy and behaviour.

Vietnam has proactively promoted dialogue and recorded important results in border demarcation and settlement of a number of border and territorial issues on the basis of international law, thus firmly protecting national independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, he stressed.

He went on to say the diplomatic sector has taken its vanguard role in pooling external resources for COVID-19 control and socio-economic development. In addition, Vietnam has also taken advantage of free trade agreements and new development trends to promote import and export, and attract investment, scientific and technological advances, contributing to maintaining macroeconomic stability, promoting economic growth, making Vietnam a bright spot in the groomy picture of the world economy.

The 32nd national diplomatic conference is expected to review the results of implementing the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress, draw lessons, and propose tasks and measures to be implemented until the end of the 13th term and the following years.

This conference will also look at a number of major and new issues in foreign affairs to contribute to summarizing 40 years of implementing the Doi Moi (Renewal) process.