Vietnamese, Philippine FMs hold talks

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh (R) and Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Lopez Locsin

Talks were held between the two diplomats in Hanoi on July 8, during which Minh said that the visit by the guest leader will also boost ties between the two foreign ministries following the ninth meeting of the Vietnam-Philippines Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation last March.

The Philippine diplomat applauded Vietnam’s great strides in national development and global integration over the past years.

Both sides consented to facilitate all-level visits and people-to-people exchange, regularly maintain and effectively uphold bilateral cooperation mechanisms, including the joint working group on ocean-related affairs and defense policy dialogue.

They pledged to consider issuing annual political consultation mechanism and signing new cooperation agreements on national defence, security and law enforcement.

The two sides showed their resolve to remove barriers regarding trade and investment, and work hand in hand to hold the third meeting of the commission this year.

The Philippine Foreign Secretary vowed to offer the best possible condition for Vietnamese fruit and vegetables, cattle and fowl meat to enter the Asian country soon.

Host and guest promised to improve the efficiency of cooperation in other important areas of education – training, labour, transportation, science-technology, culture-tourism, particularly in marine issues and fishery.

They underlined the need to strengthen consultation and offer mutual liaison on issues related to security and strategy within the ASEAN framework, improve the bloc’s security and central role together with other member states, and successfully carry out the ASEAN Vision 2025.

They also committed to working closely together at multilateral forums, especially at the UN when Vietnam takes on the role of non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2020-2021 tenure.

Regarding the East Sea issue, they pledged to consistently follow the principle of peacefully settling disputes in line with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

It is essential to consolidate trust and the importance of non-militarisation, refraining from actions that could complicate the situation and increase tension in the East Sea, both sides stressed.

They promised to offer mutual support and maintain regional solidarity in the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea, as well as negotiations on reaching a practical, effective Code of Conduct in the East Sea in line with international law and 1982 UNCLOS.

After the talks, the two ministers signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation between the two foreign ministries.

Philippine Foreign Secretary Teodoro Lopez Locsin is on a visit to Vietnam from July 7-10 at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh.