State President to attend Asian-African Conference in Indonesia

The Vietnamese Head of State will also attend the Commemoration of the 60^th anniversary of the Asian-African Conference (also known as Bandung Conference) and the 10^th anniversary of the Asian-African strategic partnership on April 24.

The Asian-African conference in 1955 marked an important milestone in the history of Asian and African countries. Delegates from 29 participating countries gathered in Bandung, Indonesia to discuss peace, security, and economic development in the midst of emerging problems in many parts of the world.

Fifty years after the conference, Indonesia hosted the Commemoration of the Golden Jubilee of the Asian-African Conference. The Bandung Spirit was finally revived, and plans were made for future cooperation between the two continents. All participants who gathered on April 22-24, 2005 in Jakarta and Bandung were convinced that the Bandung Spirit continued to be a solid foundation to nurture better relations among Asian and African countries and to resolve global issues. The commemoration led to the creation of New Asian-African Strategic Partnership (NAASP).

The NAASP serves as the blueprint for collaboration of two continents in addressing poverty and underdevelopment that considered as major problems in Asia and Africa. It was an accord which aimed at strengthening multilateralism, achieving economic growth, promoting global peace and security, and pursuing a path of sustainable growth between the two regions. Besides that, the Leaders also endorsed the outcome documents that addressed poverty eradication, terrorism, weapons of mass destruction, and the development of tsunami early warning system.

By Hai Minh