Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh asserted Viet Nam’s determination to successfully fulfill the United Nations Security Council non-permanent membership role in 2020-2021. 

Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh at the 43rd
Annual Meeting of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Group of 77
in New York, the US on September 27, 2019. 

Minh emphasized the point while addressing the 43rd Annual Meeting of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the Group of 77 in New York, the US on September 27 on the sidelines of the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

He took the occasion to call on countries to coordinate closely with Viet Nam at multilateral forums, especially the United Nations and ASEAN in the time to come.

The meeting was attended by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, delegation heads and ministers from over 130 members of the Group.

Speaking at the meeting Guterres highlighted the role of the G77 in taking the lead in pursuing sustainable development, promoting multilateralism and enhancing the role of the UN.

He expressed concerns over challenges in sustainable development and climate change adaptation in the upcoming time, especially resources constraints.

Overview of the meeting

At the meeting, the participating ministers approved a joint statement affirming the importance of South-South cooperation and solidarity between developing nations as well as their commitments to making contributions to the UN activities for social equality, international justice and sustainable development.

They also assessed consequences of climate change, especially for coastal nations and small islands as well as common viewpoints related to sustainable development and finance for development. 

At the meeting,   Azerbaijan was admitted to become the 135th member of the Group.

Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh (R)
and Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office Niels Annen

 *The same day, Minh held bilateral meetings with Foreign Ministers from Tunisia, Hungary, Chile, Burundi, the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Myanmar’s Minister of the Office of the State Counselor and the German State Secretary to the Federal Foreign Office.

Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh
and Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó. 

 At these meetings, foreign officials spoke highly of Viet Nam’s achievements in national development and high prestige as evidenced by winning a non-permanent seat on the UNSC and assuming ASEAN Chairmanship in 2020.

Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh
and Chilean Foreign Minister Teodoro Ribera 

 They hoped that Viet Nam will promote its role while undertaking the dual capacity to make more contributions to maintain peace, security in the region and the world and promote free trade and global governance.

*At the seminar with the American enterprises, which was co-organized by the Business Council for International Understanding (BCIU) and the AES Corporation, Minh briefed about recent developments in Viet Nam, including the Government’s efforts to improve business climate, economic and foreign investment attraction policies.

He highlightedthat Viet Nam and the U.S. have become top trade partners, in which the former has emerged to be the fastest growing export markets for U.S. goods and services in the region.

The two sides need to continue tackling barriers in cooperation and discussing ways to establish a new, sustainable and long-term economic and trade framework in line with the bilateral economic relations.

The American firms expressed their delight on the Vietnamese Government’s efforts in restructuring and  improving the investment environment and the two Governments’ efforts in creating a stable economic and trade framework to facilitate their enterprises.

They announced their plans to continue long-term investment in Viet Nam, especially new projects in such fields like liquefied gas production, digital economy, telecommunications and telecommunication infrastructure.

At the meeting with the American Jewish Committee (AJC), Minh suggested the AJC continue promoting its role in contributing to the two nations’ relationship, especially in the context that the two sides will celebrate the 25th anniversary of normalization of diplomatic ties in 2020 and help Viet Nam overcome consequences of the war.