President Tran Dai Quang meets with heads of the Vietnamese representative agencies abroad (Source: VNA)

He asked the diplomatic sector and the chief representatives in particular to focus on implementing orientations and tasks set at the 30th Diplomatic Conference which took place in Hanoi from 13-17. 

Accordingly, it is a necessity to continue reforming thoughts in both diplomacy and national development amidst current changes in the global situation as well as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, he said. 

The President tasked the diplomats with affirming the Party and State’s consistent policy of being a friend, trustworthy partner, and responsible member of the international community. 

He also highlighted the role of diplomats in protecting national interests, urging them to heed raising the quality of economic and cultural diplomacy while continuously improving their capacity for research and strategic forecast. 

The diplomats should raise initiatives at multilateral, regional, and international forums in order to spotlight Vietnam as a responsible member and demonstrate its position, the State leader said. 

One of the key tasks for the chief representatives this year lies with overseas Vietnamese affairs and citizen protection work, the President noted. 

Apart from personnel training, they need to pay attention to Party building; preventing degradation in political ideology, morality, and lifestyle, as well as the phenomena of “self-evolution” and “self-transformation,” he said. 

President Quang asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to continue its coordination with relevant ministries and agencies to propose specific solutions to the Party and the State to build or restore overseas Vietnamese representative offices. 

The Diplomatic Conference, which was initiated in 1957, convenes every two years to provide a venue for the diplomatic sector to reach a consensus on awareness, resolve, and action to effectively implement the Party and State’s foreign policy.