The minister’s meetings took place on the sidelines of the 46 th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM-46) in Brunei.
In his meeting with Brunei Minister of Foreign Affairs and TradeMohamed Bolkiah, Minh hailed the host country’s efforts in organisingthe AMM-46.
Both expressed their delight at the fruitfuldevelopment in the friendship and multi-faceted cooperation between thetwo countries.
They agreed to the prompt organisation of thefirst Vietnam-Brunei Joint Committee to review the partnership andpropose new areas of cooperation, especially in fields of highpotential, such as trade, agriculture, oil and gas and labour.
Minh confirmed Vietnam’s support for Brunei to successfully assume the ASEAN Chair 2013.
He expressed his hope that the country will continue working withVietnam and other ASEAN members to accelerate the formation of the ASEANCommunity, which will more firmly connect the bloc’s members.
The Vietnamese minister also urged Brunei to work with the bloc to findconsensus over the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct ofParties in the East Sea (DOC) and the terms of the proposed Code ofConduct in the Eat Sea (COC).
Meeting with Japanese ForeignMinister Fumio Kishida, the two sides noted with pleasure the rapid andcomprehensive development seen in the Vietnam-Japan relationship,especially at a time when the two countries are celebrating the 40 thanniversary of the bilateral diplomatic ties.
Kishidaemphasised that Vietnam is an important strategic partner of Japan, asdemonstrated when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe decided to visitVietnam first after taking office.
The two ministers agreed to enhance the exchange of high-ranking delegations to deepen the strategic partnership.
They also agreed to finalise plans for the fifth Vietnam-JapanCooperation Committee in Tokyo, which will map out the next steps fortheir strategic partnership, especially in economics, science-technologyand human resources development.
The Japanese side pledged tocontinue its official development assistance (ODA) to Vietnam andfoster cooperation to effectively implement the fifth phase of theVietnam-Japan Joint Initiative while assisting the country in devisingits modernisation strategy.
In his meeting with RoKcounterpart Yun Byung Se, Minh declared his satisfaction with the rapidand effective development between the two countries in all areas,especially in the cooperation between the two foreign ministries.
Yun Byung Se replied by saying Vietnam is the RoK’s leading ASEANpartner, adding that his country wishes to further boost the strategiccooperative partnership between them.
Together they proposed anumber of measures to lift the relationship, such as maintainingdelegation exchanges and promoting trade and investment ties.
Minh then asked the RoK to consider signing a memorandum ofunderstanding on labour cooperation between the two countries, creatingconditions for Vietnam to continue bringing its guest workers to theRoK.
At the end of the discussions, Minh conveyed PresidentTruong Tan Sang’s invitation to RoK President Park Gyn Hae to visitVietnam soon.
In his final meeting in a busy day, Minh met hisNorwegian counterpart Espen Barth Eide. He praised Norway’s assistanceto Vietnam in coping with the challenges posed by climate change.
He also congratulated Norway on the country’s signing of the Treaty ofAmity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, expressing his hope that thecountry will actively contribute to peace, stability and development inthe region.
For his part, Eide confirmed Norway’s recognitionof Vietnam’s role in the region as well as the country’s huge marketpotential.-VNA