Hanoi (VNA) – The first NationalConference on Foreign Affairs that opened in Hanoi on December 14 highlightedthe combination of Party diplomacy, State diplomacy and people-to-people diplomacyin the implementation of the guidelines on external affairs adopted at the 13th National Party Congress.

Le Hoai Trung, Chairman of the Party Central Committee’sCommission for External Relations, said the 13th National PartyCongress set forth the guidelines for external affairs, aiming to build a comprehensiveand modern diplomacy based on the three above-said pillars.

As an advisory body of the Party Central Committee inforeign affairs, the Commission for External Relations, under the leadership ofthe Politburo and the Secretariat, will seriously follow the guidelines and viewpointsof the Party, carry forward achievements and make greater efforts in realisingthe guidelines adopted at the 13th National Party Congress, he said.

In Party diplomacy, it is necessary to pay attentionto and improve the quality of research and strategic consultancy, while keepinga close watch on the world situation and political trends, according to theofficial.

Party diplomacy should be a pillar in putting forthmaster strategies for relations with neighbours and other countries, he said,adding that Party diplomacy and people-to-people diplomacy would promote mutualunderstanding and international support for national reform, construction anddefence.

Speaking at the conference, Minister of ForeignAffairs Bui Thanh Son attributed the achievements recorded by the diplomatic sectorto the absolute and comprehensive leadership of the Party, the centralised andunified management of the State, as well as the consensus between the Party, peopleand the army.

He emphasised close links between political, economic andcultural diplomacy, information for foreign service, overseas Vietnamese affairs andcitizen protection, saying the diplomatic sector has worked to utilise good politicalties, favourable factors and international commitments to mobilise resources fornational growth.

The sector has also accelerated the building and consolidationof relevant institutions, policies and laws, and stepped up modernination anddigital transformation in the work, Son said.

The core task lies in personnel development, hesaid, stressing that diplomats must have a good background in politics,ideology, morality, knowledge and working style.

In her remarks, President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) Nguyen Phuong Nga said people-to-people diplomacy has reaped greatachievements and made significant contributions in different periods of theVietnamese revolution.

People-to-people diplomacy, together with Party diplomacyand State diplomacy, has boosted the normalisation of relations with majorpartners and mobilised the support of international friends for the settlementof war consequences and national reconstruction.

To enhance the role of people-to-people diplomacy, Ngasuggested raising awareness in the entire political system about the significanceof people-to-people diplomacy, strongly reforming operations across spheres,and completing mechanisms and policies to ensure financial and human resourcesfor people-to-people diplomacy.

She proposed the Party Central Committee's Secretariat soon issue a newdirective on people-to-people diplomacy to replace Directive No. 04 dated July6, 2011 to match its new role and task./.