Singapore (VNA) – Vietnamese DeputyPrime Minister cum Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh had bilateral meetings onAugust 4 with the Indian Minister ofState for External Affairs and foreign ministers of the Philippines and Brunei withinthe framework of the 51st ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM 51)in Singapore.

At the meeting with Indian Minister of State forExternal Affairs V.K Singh, the two officials highly evaluated the close Vietnam-Indiatraditional friendship as well as the new development in the ComprehensiveStrategic Partnership between the two countries in the recent time, especially theregular exchange of high-level visits.

The two sides agreed to realize the important results reached after the statevisit to India by Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang in March 2018, andfurther deepen the bilateral defence-security cooperation by disbursing two defencefunding packages pledged by the Indian Government for Vietnam.

Minh and Singh also underlined the need to make more efforts to promote economic,trade and investment ties and further expand collaboration in the field of oiland gas in Vietnam.

[Photos: Vietnamese FM 𒐪meets counterparts of ASEAN, partners in Singapore]

Singh affirmed that India supports the maintenance of peace, stability and securityas well as safety and freedom of navigation and aviation in the East Sea, the peaceful settlement of disputes inaccordance with international law, including the UN Convention on the Law ofthe Sea 1982 (UNCLOS), and the full and strict implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Partiesin the East Sea (DOC) and working towards an early formulation of an effectiveand practical Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).

He thanked Vietnam, as the coordinator of ASEAN-India relations in 2015-2018, forpromoting the effective and practical cooperation between the two sides, thus todeepening the ASEAN-India Strategic Partnership.

During a meeting with Brunei Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Erywan Yusof,the two ministers agreed to further foster collaboration in potential fieldssuch as agriculture, fishery, education, and tourism.

They held that it is necessary to open a direct flight connecting Hanoi/Ho ChiMinh City with Brunei to promote exchanges in all sectors. The two diplomatsurged the signing of an agreement on setting up a hot line to give promptsupport to fisherman and fishing activities.

Yusof affirmed that he will request relevant agencies to speed up the grantingof Halal certificates to Vietnamese food producers, and lauded Vietnam’sincreasing rice and farm produce exports to the Brunei market, helping thecountry ensure long-term food security.


The same day, Minh also hada meeting with Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alan Peter Cayetano,during which they agreed to continue intensifying the bilateral strategicpartnership in important spheres such as defence-security, economy,trade-investment, and marine cooperation.

Minh asked both sides to soon organise the 9thmeeting of the bilateral cooperation committee and complete the building of theVietnam-Philippines action plan for 2018-2023, thus creating favourableconditions for promoting bilateral relations in the time ahead.

The ministers also affirmed the importance ofstrengthening cooperation and coordinating the two countries’ viewpoints atregional and international forums, especially within the framework of ASEAN.

They agreed to enhance the ASEAN’ssolidarity, self-resilience and unanimity in the region’s security anddevelopment issues, including the East Sea issue, and accelerate the buildingof a practical, effective and legally-binding COC.–VNA