Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the UN Security Council high-level open debate on ‘Enhancing Maritime Security: A case for international cooperation’ in August 2021. (Photo: Duong Giang/VNA)

Greater efficiency, broader participation

The new requirements set for foreign affairs and the diplomatic sector in particular are proactiveness, extensiveness, flexibility, and effectiveness with better quality, broader participation, uniform coordination, and more active implementation. Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son outlined key tasks of 2022 and the following years.

“It’s necessary to unanimously and effectively fulfill the tasks of maintaining a peaceful and stable environment, persistently defending sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, mobilizing external resources for socio-economic development, and enhancing national status. We will continue to expand and deepen external relationships, focusing on neighboring countries, important partners and traditional friends, and promoting Vietnam's role in important multilateral mechanisms such as ASEAN, the UN, APEC, and Greater Mekong Subregion cooperation.”

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage, Vietnam's diplomacy continues to promote cooperation, enlist international support for pandemic prevention and control, and recover and develop the socio-economy. Economic diplomacy’s motto for 2022 is "aggressiveness, reform, adaption, efficiency, and creativity." Its main task is contributing to socio-economic recovery and development and growth model reform.

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son said, “We are determined to build an economic diplomacy that serves development with a focus on local people and businesses. Obviously, economic diplomacy can only be effectively implemented when there is support, close coordination, and active participation of localities, businesses, and especially Vietnam’s representative agencies abroad. We will make the most of favorable international factors, commitments and agreements, including signed FTAs, in order to mobilize external resources and effectively combine them with domestic resources to serve rapid and sustainable development of the country.”

Multilateral diplomacy affirms Vietnam's new status globally

Vietnam's multilateral diplomacy has lately recorded proud achievements. Vietnam has just finished serving two years as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council. During its 2020-2021 term, Vietnam promoted the rule of law and multilateral behavior based on international law, and created a favorable environment for development. At Saturday’s conference reviewing Vietnam's two-year non-permanent membership on the UN Security Council, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh said foreign affairs should be carried out more aggressively by getting involved in shaping the rules of the game at multilateral forums if conditions allow, instigating initiatives, creating positive impressions, and enhancing Vietnam’s position and value in its relations with other countries.

 “In a new stage of development, foreign affairs will continue to play a pioneering role in maintaining a peaceful and stable environment, making an important contribution to firmly defending independence, sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity, helping to achieve the goal of a rich people, strong country, democracy, justice, and civilization, all for the people’s benefit and the country’s powerful and prosperous development. Efforts should be made to build a school of foreign affairs and diplomacy imbued with national identity, the identity of "Vietnamese bamboo", contributing more to national construction and defense,” according to Prime Minister Chinh.

Amid the raging COVID-19 pandemic and global uncertainties, the foreign affairs tasks for 2022 are extremely challenging: spreading widely the image of a country that loves peace and humanity, respects justice and righteousness, and is innovative, dynamic, and ready to shoulder responsibility for peace and sustainable development.