(VOVworld) - Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh and Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida have agreed to consolidate political trust by maintaining regular visits and dialogues, and upholding existing dialogue mechanisms.
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| Vietnamese Deputy PM and FM Pham Binh Minh (L) and Japanese FM Fumio Kishida. (Photo: VNA) |
At the 8th session of the Japan-Vietnam Cooperation Committee, co-chaired by the two officials in Hanoi on Friday, the two sides reached a consensus on stronger cooperation in economy, trade, investment, education, and health care.
The officials also agreed that Japan will consider support for Vietnam in building a fundamental and long-term response plan to drought and saline intrusion, which are devastating the central and southern regions.
Deputy PM Minh asked Japan to facilitate the granting of visas for Vietnamese citizens.
At a press conference following the talks, Mr. Minh emphasized that Japan remains a leading and long-term partner in Vietnam’s foreign policy after the recent 12th National Party Congress.
He appreciated the Japanese Government’s provision of 2.5 billion USD in ODA loans in the fiscal year 2015, while proposing the continuation of ODA funding at the higher level.
Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida pledged that Japan will strongly assist Vietnam in socio-economic development through providing ODA for high-quality infrastructure building, competitiveness improvement, manpower training and climate change response.
The two officials also told reporters that they had discussed regional and international matters of mutual interest, including the recent situation in the East Sea.
They agreed that the concerned parties in the East Sea must strive to ensure peace, security, safety, and freedom of navigation and aviation in the waters. They should settle disputes by peaceful means, adhere to international law, and not conduct actions that challenge the status quo, complicate or expand disputes, or increase militarization in the East Sea.
The two sides signed a diplomatic note on the Japanese Government’s provision of a 196 million USD ODA loan in the fiscal year 2015 for phase II of the water environment improvement project in Ho Chi Minh City.
The document also includes the Japanese Government’s non-refundable aid, worth almost 4.7 million USD, for supplying medical equipment to Vietnam in the same fiscal year. The note was signed by Vietnamese Minister of Planning and Investment, Nguyen Chi Dung, and the Japanese Foreign Minister.
Mr. Kishida and Vietnam’s Minister of Education and Training Phung Xuan Nha signed another agreement on the Japanese Government’s non-refundable aid valued at 3.65 million USD for a project aimed at human resources development scholarships in the fiscal year 2016.