GENEVA — As part of his official visit to Switzerland, Vietnamese President Nguyễn Xuân Phúc on Sunday (local time) held several meetings with heads of WTO, FIFA, UN Office in Geneva, Geneva's local leaders, and the Permanent Mission of Việt Nam to the UN and Vietnamese experts working at international organisations in Geneva.
At the meeting with the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, President Phúc thanked the WTO for its attention and support given to Việt Nam's socio-economic development.
He said that from a war-torn country, Việt Nam has gradually risen to become a major exporter and effectively solved social security problems, thus improving people's living standards. Việt Nam is also an active and responsible member in international affairs.
In the development process, Việt Nam also maintains a consistent policy of promoting international economic integration, supports the role of the WTO, and is willing to work closely with the Office of the WTO Director-General and other members in all activities of the organisation.
In the future, the WTO should focus on solving a number of technical problems in order to maintain its effective operation in the context of more and more disputes and trade remedies arising, he noted.
“Việt Nam supports the WTO’s reform efforts and initiatives on the basis of maintaining a balance between rights and obligations, ensuring that they are appropriate to the development level and implementation capacity of its members, especially developing and underdeveloped ones,” he stressed.
For her part, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala expressed her impression of Việt Nam’s achievements in socio-economic development and international economic integration in general as well as in the implementation of commitments and obligations within the WTO framework.
Especially, she praised Việt Nam’s impressive achievements in improving people's lives and reducing poverty, saying it is a good model for all developing countries to follow.
The WTO Director-General also appreciated Việt Nam’s efforts in producing COVID-19 vaccines, working with the world in the fight against the pandemic.
The same day, President Phúc visited Geneva State and was warmly welcomed by President of the state’s Council Serge Dal Busco.
The Geneva leader spoke highly of Việt Nam’s socio-economic development achievements and expressed his delight at the good results of the multifaceted cooperation that the two sides have obtained since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1971. He believed that these are solid foundations that contribute to promoting bilateral cooperation.
President Phúc asked the leaders of Geneva state to create favourable conditions for local businesses to expand investment and business cooperation with Việt Nam. He suggested the state study the establishment of partnerships with Vietnamese localities, especially in the fields of Geneva’s strengths such as economy-finance, tourism, science-high technology, medicine, economy, environment, and urban planning and development.
Meeting with President of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) Gianni Infantino the same day, President Phúc asked FIFA to continue to cooperate and support the Việt Nam Football Federation (VFF) in programmes and projects to develop facilities, improve expertise and administrative management, and organise professional football tournaments in Việt Nam.
He expressed his wish that FIFA will continue to promote world football activities post-pandemic, adding that Việt Nam always supports FIFA's activities and will actively participate in activities organised by the organisation.
Gianni Infantino also recommended that Việt Nam should create conditions for its teams to participate in regional and international tournaments to sharpen their skills, gain experience and become more mature.
He affirmed that FIFA will continue to closely cooperate and support the VFF and look forward to having the opportunity to return to Việt Nam soon.
At a meeting with Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General of the UN Office in Geneva, the Vietnamese State leader appreciated the effective multifaceted cooperation between Việt Nam and the UN, considering it a top priority in its foreign policy of multilateralisation and diversification.
The President affirmed that Việt Nam supports the UN in promoting its central role in global governance, keeping international peace and security, boosting sustainable development, ensuring human rights, and effectively responding to common challenges, especially non-traditional ones such as climate change, epidemics and food security.
Việt Nam wishes to develop comprehensive cooperation with the UN, including the UN Office in Geneva, especially in the context that 2022 will mark the 45th anniversary of Việt Nam’s accession to the UN.
Regarding the prevention and control of the COVID-19 pandemic, the President said that at this time, the pandemic situation in Việt Nam has been basically brought under control. Việt Nam has switched to a safe and flexible adaptation strategy to realise the goals of effectively fighting the pandemic, ensuring social security, and restoring and promoting socio-economic development.
He suggested that UN organisations continue to support Việt Nam in increasing access to COVID-19 vaccine sources and implementing its vaccination campaign, help with medical supplies and equipment as well as policy advise and experience to support long-term socio-economic recovery in a green, sustainable, and more resilient direction.
On this occasion, President Phúc thanked the UN for cooperation and support for Việt Nam to fulfil its role as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for nearly two years.
For her part, Tatiana Valovaya highly valued Việt Nam’s excellent performance as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2020-21 tenure with many initiatives and practical contributions to global issues.
She also lauded Việt Nam’s determination and efforts in protecting human rights and realising the sustainable development goals, emphasising that Việt Nam’s is a developing country but shows its leading role and is a model in combating climate change. She added that the UN always attaches importance to and is ready to cooperate with Việt Nam to promote areas of shared concern.
On the same day, President Phúc and his entourage visited officials and staff of the Permanent Mission of Việt Nam to the UN and Vietnamese experts working at international organisations in Geneva. — VNS