VNA Singaporean president receives warm welcome A State welcoming ceremony in honour of the Singaporean president, S R Nathan, who arrived in Hanoi on February 7 for a five-day official friendly visit to Vietnam, was held yesterday afternoon at the Presidential Palace. Attending the welcoming ceremony were President Tran Duc Luong and his wife, Foreign Minister Nguyen Duy Nien, Minister and Director of the President's Office Nguyen Canh Dinh, Minister of Health Do Nguyen Phuong, Hanoi People's Committee Chairman Hoang Van Nghien and many other senior officials. Immediately after the welcoming ceremony, the Singaporean president was received by President Tran Duc Luong. President Luong welcomed the Singaporean president and his wife to visit Vietnam. He affirmed that the Vietnam visit made by the Singaporean president during the first days of 2001 was an event of great significance, contributing to consolidating the friendly relations and promoting multi-faceted co-operation between the two states and peoples of the two countries. President Nathan said he was delighted to visit Vietnam at the time when the Vietnamese people are observing Tet (lunar New Year) festival and entering the new century with many outstanding socio-economic achievements. The Singaporean president said he believed that his first Vietnam visit would contribute to ushering in a new development in the friendship and multi-sided co-operation between the two countries in the new stage. **** Vietnam, Singapore presidents emphasise bilateral relationsPresident Tran Duc Luong and his Singaporean counterpart, S R Nathan both attached importance to the development of bilateral relations during their talks held in Hanoi yesterday. They were speaking after the Singaporean president, who arrived in Vietnam yesterday for an official friendship visit, was welcomed at the Presidential Palace by President Tran Duc Luong; Foreign Minister Nguyen Dy Nien; President's Office director, Nguyen Canh Dinh; Public Health minister, Do Nguyen Phuong; chairman of the Hanoi People's Committee, Hoang Van Nghien, and other senior officials. President Tran Duc Luong described the visit as an historic milestone in the relations of the two countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations - ASEAN. His belief was that the visit would help raise friendship and multi-co-operation between Vietnam and Singapore to a new height and boost the development of bilateral ties as both countries entered the 21st century. After praising the impressive achievements recorded by the Singaporeans in national development, Vietnam's president reiterated his country's persistant policy to underline the development of friendship and multi-faceted co-operation with Singapore either on a bilateral basis, or in the framework of ASEAN-based co-operation and multilateral agreements. He said that he hoped the visit's outcome would meet the interests of the two peoples, thus benefiting peace, stability, co-operation, development and prosperity in the region and the world. In reply, Singaporean President Nathan expressed his delight at visiting Vietnam where he had seen with his own eyes the socio-economic achievements recorded by the Vietnamese people in their implementation of doi moi, or renovation, as well as their external policy of openness, diversification and multilateralisation, regional and global integration that had helped raise Vietnam's international status and role. He reaffirmed that Singapore would continue promoting friendship and co-operation with Vietnam. Both presidents noted with satisfaction the smooth development of friendship and multi-co-operation between the two countries, especially since Vietnam joined the ASEAN in 1995. They agreed that through the exchange of high-level visits and various talks between leaders and officials of the two countries at ASEAN, APEC or Asia-Europe meetings, Vietnam and Singapore had enhanced their mutual trust and understanding. This had served as the groundwork for long-term co-operation of mutual benefit. They also discussed concrete steps and measures to further boost bilateral co-operation and agreed to have closer co-ordination in activities at regional and world forums. (VNA) **** Banquet held for Singaporean president President Tran Duc Luong and his Singaporean counterpart S R Nathan. President Tran Duc Luong and his wife hosted a banquet in Hanoi yesterday evening, in honour of Singapore President S R Nathan, his wife and entourage. Present were Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem, Foreign Minister Nguyen Dy Nien, Presidential Office Director Nguyen Canh Dinh and Health Minister Do Nguyen Phuong. In a speech delivered at the banquet, President Tran Duc Luong expressed his admiration for the achievements recorded by the Singaporean people in national construction and development. He said that over the past 40 years - not a long time - the Singaporean people with creativeness, cleaverness, extraodinary effort, effective development strategy and policy had built a prosperous island in south-east Asia. President Luong reiterated Vietnam's unchanging policy of boosting friendship and multifaceted co-operation with Singapore on the basis of bilateral relations and in the framework of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) co-operation. Singapore President S R Nathan said that Vietnam and Singapore must co-operate with each other to cope with the challenges of a swift-changing world. He emphasised that as members of ASEAN, Singapore and Vietnam had to help each other and work to make the regional grouping a successful organisation in the new era of globalisation. Though a tiny nation, Singapore would continue to share its experience obtained in national development with Vietnam. It would also promote bilateral co-operation in science, technology, particularly information technology, as well as in education and vocational training, with Vietnam. (VNA) **** Nhan Dan Online has 70 million hits Seventy million people have accessed Nhan Dan Online as of February 6 since the paper officially launched its website on June 21, 1998. This is according to the statistics provided by the Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Corporation¹s Data and Communications Company. An average of 120,000 people visit Nhan Dan Online everyday. Of these, 100,000 people access the Vietnamese language edition, while the remaining 20,000, the English language edition. **** Vietnam, Japan exchange views on diplomacy, defenceA Vietnam-Japan exchange of views about diplomacy and defence at both the departmental level was held in Tokyo on February 6 and 7 as part of an agreement between the Foreign and Defence Ministries of the two countries. Vietnam's delegation to the exchange - the first of its kind - was led by the Foreign Ministry's Asia Department 1 director, Hoang Nhu Ly and the host delegation by the Japanese Foreign Ministry's Asia Department deputy director, Atchumi Chihiro. Representatives from the Vietnam Defence Ministry and the Japan Defence Agency also attended. The delegations briefed each other about the economic and political situation and defence security policy in their countries in an atmosphere of friendship, mutual understanding and respect. They exchanged views about developments in the Asia-Pacific region and the world. They also spoke about their efforts to consolidate peace and stability and promote bilateral co-operation within the framework of multilateral co-operation. Both delegations expressed delight with the fine development of Vietnam-Japan co-operation in politics, commerce, investment, culture, education and defence - security. They were unanimous that their dialogue would contribute to mutual understanding and promote the further development of relations between their countries. They agreed to a second exchange of views in Hanoi next year. (VNA) **** Philippines continues economic ties: presidential envoyThe Philippines will continue promoting economic and commercial co-operation with Vietnam, the country's special presidential envoy, Roberto Romulo, has told Prime Minister Phan Van Khai. The prime minister, who was hosting a reception for Mr Romulo in Hanoi yesterday, welcomed the goodwill expressed by the Filipino president and said Vietnam attached importance to its relations with all other member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, including the Philippines. He said ASEAN member countries should enhance their solidarity and unity and affirm the association's role and status in the region and the world. He expressed the hope that development of multi-faceted co-operation between the two countries would benefit both and contribute further to developing co-operation within ASEAN. The prime minister said the two countries should hold an inter-governmental joint commission meeting soon to devise measures for promoting bilateral trade and investment. He asked Mr Romulo to convey his best wishes to President Gloria M Arroyo and said he welcomed the Vietnam visit by the president. Mr Romulo conveyed President Gloria M Arroyo's greetings to Prime Minister Khai and briefed his host about her administration's domestic and external policy. He said that he hoped Vietnam and the Philippines would continue co-operating to implement ASEAN's targets and Plan of Action and co-ordinating to boost the association's relations with Japan, the US and China. (VNA) **** Get-together of religious dignitaries in Gia Lai heldA get-together with representatives of religious organisations in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai was held on February 6 by the provincial Fatherland Front chapter. Chairman of the Gia Lai People's Committee Nguyen Vi Ha informed participants of the province's socio-economic development in 2000, and the orientation, tasks and targets for socio-economic development in 2001 as well as the following years. President of the provincial Fatherland Front chapter Ro Cham H Yeo highlighted the role of religious organisations in building unity among religious sects, and between the religious sects and the local communities and administration. She called on them to maintain high vigilance against any sabotage scheme by hostile forces. Speaking on this occasion, local religious dignitaries expressed their gratitude to the provincial authorities for their high appreciation of religious organisations' role in helping followers better understand and implement the policies of the Party, the State and government. They promised to do their best to ensure unity among religious and ethnic groups, keep social order and security and encourage the local people to expand production in order to obtain the province's socio-economic targets for 2001. (VNA) **** Tree planting festivals continue Localities nationwide are continuing tree planting festivals on the occassion of Tet (lunar New Year). In the first days of Tet, many districts in Hanoi launched their tree planting festivals in an effort to improve the environment and make the capital greener and more beautiful. Advisor to the Party Central Committee Do Muoi joined the people in planting trees at the Hai Ba Trung Temple, the Tran Nhan Tong Junior School, the Trung Nhi Secondary School and the Vietnam-Bulgaria Kindergarten. This year, Hanoi aims to plant 65,000 trees. Haiphong city¹s tree planting festival has attracted the participation of the local people, especially young people. Officials of the tourism sector in the central province of Nghe An actively took part in their tree planting festival which was launched on the seventh day of Tet. They have planted thousands of green trees around hotels and tourism resorts. The southern province of Vinh Long has provided loans and techniques to local farmers to help them restore their orchards which were damaged in the flood last year. The province plans to establish five fruit tree areas: longan in Long Ho district; thick-skinned orange in the two districts of Tra On and Tam Binh; grapefruit in Binh Minh; rambutan in Tra On and Long Ho and mango in Mang Thit and Vung Liem. The northern mountainous province of Cao Bang had a widespread launch of their tree planting festival rights in the days before Tet. The province has now planted over 124,000 trees. _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
