VN, Chile look toward closer bilateral ties
VNGOP – Party General Secretary Nông Đức Mạnh and his entourage arrived at Santiago de Chile on May 25, starting their official visit to the Republic of Chile. A solemn welcome ceremony was held at the Constitutional Square in front of the Presidential Palace. After the ceremony, General Secretary Nông Đức Mạnh had talks with Chilean President Michelle Bachelle.
In a frank ambiance of mutual understanding, General Secretary Nông Đức Mạnh and President Michelle Bachelle exchanged their opinions on orientations and solutions to strengthen the Vietnam-Chile friendship and cooperation. They also discussed international issues of common concern.
The General Secretary and the Chilean President agreed to increase high-ranking meetings; expand exchanges among political parties and mass organizations of the two countries; promote practical and effective cooperation between ministries of Vietnam and Chile. The leaders also pledged to share their experience of socio-economic development combined with social progress, equality, and poverty reduction.
The two sides supported the establishment of the Vietnam-Chile Joint Committee for Cooperation as the focal agency for bilateral cooperation. They showed their determination to boost initiatives to facilitate long-term cooperation among Vietnamese and Chilean businesses in various fields, especially science, technology, education and training. The two sides emphasized that the increased commercial and investment exchanges between Vietnam and Chile would help to speed up cooperation between Southeast Asia and Latin America.
The leaders also made commitments to closely collaborate each other in international organizations and forums to enhance multilateral dialogues and cooperation within APEC and Forum for East Asia Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC).
After the talks, the Vietnamese Party chief and the Chilean President attended the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding on the foundation of the Vietnam-Chile Joint Committee and the agreement on scientific and technological exchange.
|
|
|
General Secretary Nông Đức Mạnh meets Chilean Speaker Patricio Walker |
On May 26, General Secretary Nông Đức Mạnh had separate meetings with Deputy Chairman of the Chilean Senate Carlos Ominami, Chamber of Deputies Speaker Patricio Walker and Supreme Court President Enrique Tapia. The Party chief also met leaders of the Communist Party of Chile, the Coalition of Parties for Democracy, and the Chile-Vietnam Culture Institute.
The Chilean hosts expressed their confidence that the visit to Chile by General Secretary Nông Đức Mạnh helped to increase mutual understanding and support between the two peoples and two countries, bringing the Chile-Vietnam relation into a new bright stage of development.
In the morning of the same day, General Secretary Nông Đức Mạnh paid a visit to the bronze ore area with a mining city of original architecture and position just recognized by UNESCO as a world heritage site, about 110 km north of Santiago Capital. He also visited the Salvador Allende Museum and the Vietnamese Embassy to Chile.
By Hoàng Nguyên Hồ
