On the afternoon of August 9 (local time), within the framework of his official visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran, National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue visited and delivered an important speech on the relationship of “Vietnam-Iran cooperation for peace and development” at the Iranian Institute for Political Studies and International Relations. The following is the full text of the speech.
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| National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue visits and speaks at the Iran Institute for Political Studies and International Relations. (Source: VNA) |
Dear Acting Chairman of the Foreign Policy and Security Committee of the Iranian Parliament, Dr. Amoie.
Dear Dr. Muhammad Hassan Shaykh Al Islami, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Director of the Institute of Political Studies and International Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran!
Dear Iranian and Vietnamese friends!
1. I would like to thank the Institute of Political Studies and International Relations, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran for organizing this very meaningful meeting today. This is an opportunity for us to exchange with veteran diplomats and learned scholars at one of the most prestigious research institutes in Iran and the region, right on the occasion of our two countries celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.
2. During this official visit to Iran, each of us was filled with stories and good impressions of the hospitality, generosity and kindness of the Iranian people - a precious tradition, a treasured heritage.
From the first moments of setting foot in your country, the warm eyes, the kind smiles, the firm handshakes made us feel like we were meeting old friends with close feelings like the great Persian poet Mawlana Rumi once said: “I love you with all my soul, because the soul never rests, never forgets”.
For many generations of Vietnamese people, Iran is an ancient civilization, with outstanding scientific achievements in many fields that remain valuable today. Iranian literature and poetry such as the anthologies “Ancient Persian Poetry”, “Persian Fables”, and especially the fascinating and thrilling stories in “1001 Odd Nights” of Scheherazade or “Persian Market” is a colorful picture with stalls, colorful Persian carpets with the melodious sound of “Ta” zither combined with the cheerful sound of “Tong-bac” drums and many other works have been published in Vietnamese and have been widely received and highly appreciated by the public and people.
Although geographically distant, it cannot prevent our cooperation. Thousands of years ago, many Sassanid and Persian merchants traded goods and established trading posts at Vietnamese ports. Now, we are only 10 hours away from each other by flying 5,500 km to connect Hanoi and Tehran, the two “Capitals for Peace”. That peaceful route brings our delegation to you with the close friendship of “Vietnam-Iran: cooperation for peace and development”.
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| National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue speaks. (Source: VNA) |
Ladies and gentlemen,
3. As two countries that have experienced many struggles and historical ups and downs, the love for peace is ingrained in the blood of the people of our two countries.
The heroic Arash in Persian legend has left us a lesson on how to demarcate borders, end violence peacefully to meet the aspirations of the Iranian people and neighboring countries. Visiting Iran, we feel peace not only with many and many friendly smiles, but also with the greeting Salam meaning peace from kind hearts.
In Vietnam, in the 15th century, Nguyen Trai, Poet - National Liberation Hero, World Cultural Celebrity of Vietnam - also said: "Use great justice to defeat cruelty/Use benevolence to replace violence" to "Extinguish the eternal fire of war/Open the foundation of eternal peace". Those verses still resonate today, clearly demonstrating the peaceful path, respect for reason, justice and righteousness, and also the aspiration for peaceful development of the Vietnamese people.
Entering the third decade of the 21st century, the world is experiencing many unpredictable and unprecedented changes. War, conflict, strategic competition, separation between major countries, disruption of supply chains... combined with urgent global issues such as natural disasters, severe climate change, epidemics, energy security, food security, transnational crime, social inequality... are putting countries in front of many unprecedented challenges.
The world economy is on the path to recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic, but it is not yet stable, even facing the risk of recession. Many of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030 are behind schedule and difficult to complete. International resources for development cooperation are stretched, unable to meet all the legitimate needs and demands of developing countries. However, humanity is also developing rapidly with many opportunities from connectivity, remarkable advances in technology in the strong flow of the 4.0 industrial revolution...
Faced with such opportunities and challenges, peace, stability, cooperation and development are increasingly burning aspirations and goals of constant and unceasing striving of mankind.
Ladies and gentlemen,
4. I would like to share a few things about Vietnam's story and the path forward.
Since 1986, Vietnam has chosen the path of comprehensive and synchronous innovation. Reality shows that this is an absolutely correct choice given the conditions and circumstances of a poor, backward country, heavily devastated by war, besieged and severely embargoed, which has risen to achieve great and historic achievements, becoming a middle-income developing country with strong and deep international integration.
After 35 years of Doi Moi, from 1986 to 2021, Vietnam's economy has always grown at an average rate of about 6%/year for decades, the economic scale has increased 12 times. Gross domestic product (GDP) per capita reached 4,163 USD in 2022.
Today, Vietnam has trade relations with over 220 countries and territories, with trade turnover reaching 730 billion USD in 2022; total foreign direct investment (FDI) reaching nearly 450 billion USD with 37,000 projects from 143 countries and territories, ranked by the United Nations in the group of 20 most successful countries in the world in attracting FDI. The national poverty rate has decreased from 58% in 1993 to 2.23% in 2021 according to the United Nations' new multidimensional poverty standard.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, in 2021-2022, Vietnam steadfastly implemented the "dual goal" of disease prevention and control along with socio-economic recovery and achieved impressive results. In 2022, Vietnam's GDP growth reached 8.02%; inflation was controlled at a low level of 3.15%.
Despite being a latecomer, Vietnam has administered 260 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine to a population of nearly 100 million people, becoming one of the six countries with the highest vaccine coverage in the world. Despite many difficulties, Vietnam always focuses on ensuring social security, leaving no one behind.
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| National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue answers questions from Iranian delegates. (Source: VNA) |
To achieve these comprehensive and encouraging achievements, I would like to share with you three main lessons drawn from our country's experience:
First, firmly uphold the leadership role of the Party, Government and National Assembly of Vietnam with the spirit of taking the people as the root.
The decisive factor in Vietnam's success in the struggle for national independence, national unification, and the construction and protection of the Fatherland is the consistent and wise leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the Government, and the National Assembly of Vietnam. We always act according to the viewpoint of taking "the people as the root", "the people push the boat and the people also capsize the boat", taking the happiness and prosperity of the people as the ultimate goal.
Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong affirmed that Vietnam is building “a society of rich people, strong country, democracy, fairness, and civilization; owned by the people”. The Vietnamese rule-of-law state is of the people, by the people, for the people, expanding friendly relations and cooperation with countries around the world.
In that spirit, the motto of State agencies and civil servants is that people must know, people discuss, people do, people inspect, people supervise and people benefit. For that reason, all decisions of the Party and State must put people and businesses at the center.
With the right policies supported by the people and businesses, creative actions, and extensive international cooperation, we have created a strong national strength, making Vietnam steadfast in overcoming countless difficulties and challenges, and are gradually developing rapidly and sustainably.
Second, focus on implementing three strategic breakthroughs: synchronously perfecting development institutions, especially the socialist-oriented market economic institution; developing human resources and building a synchronous and modern infrastructure system.
In 2021, at the 13th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam, we set out two 100-year strategic goals: The first goal is that by 2030, the 100th anniversary of the Party's founding, Vietnam will become a developing country with modern industry and high average income. The second goal is that by 2045, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Vietnam will become a developed country with high income.
To realize that vision and that aspiration for power, Vietnam will focus on prioritizing: building a synchronous development institution, ensuring harmony between economic innovation and political, cultural and social innovation; between following market rules and ensuring socialist orientation towards serving the people; between economic growth and cultural and social development, protecting resources and the environment; between economic and social development and ensuring national defense and security; between independence and autonomy and deep international integration.
Respect and effectively promote human resources, culture, education and training, science and technology. Focus on internal and external resources, including resources from the private sector, enterprises, domestic and foreign investors in socio-economic development.
Third, Vietnam always consistently implements a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship, cooperation and development, diversification, multilateralization, proactively and actively integrating comprehensively, deeply and effectively into the world.
In the spirit of being a friend, a trustworthy partner and an active, responsible member of the international community, Vietnam has been synchronously and comprehensively implementing all three pillars: Party diplomacy, State diplomacy (including parliamentary diplomacy, Government diplomacy, and People's diplomacy).
To date, Vietnam has established diplomatic relations with 191 out of 193 United Nations member states, including 30 strategic and comprehensive partners; and established economic and trade relations with more than 220 countries, territories and partner economies.
Vietnam has participated in 16 free trade agreements (FTAs), including many new-generation FTAs, and enjoys many high incentives in the markets of 60 countries and partners, including 15 countries in the Group of 20 leading developed and emerging economies (G20) and all countries in the Group of Seven (G7). The Vietnamese National Assembly has relations with more than 140 parliaments around the world.
Vietnam has always been proactive, actively participated, and contributed with the highest sense of constructiveness and responsibility to common efforts, successfully assumed responsibilities in many important multilateral mechanisms, and is implementing its commitment to reduce net emissions to zero by 2050, and participating in the United Nations peacekeeping force...
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| Delegates attending the program. (Source: VNA) |
Ladies and gentlemen!
5. In the context of a complex and unpredictable international environment, with increasingly fierce and complex geostrategic competition among major countries, Vietnam always adheres to its foreign policy of independence and self-reliance, respect for independence and sovereignty, active cooperation, proactive international integration, upholding multilateralism, international law, and the United Nations Charter.
Vietnam proactively participates in and promotes its role in multilateral mechanisms such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Inter-Parliamentary Union of Southeast Asian Nations (AIPA), the United Nations, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC), the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), the Group of 77 (G77), the Non-Aligned Movement, etc., actively and responsibly contributing to building a stable, fair, and equal international order, ensuring the legitimate interests of all countries, on the basis of respect for international law and the United Nations Charter.
In Vietnam's overall foreign policy, the Middle East holds an important position. We have established official diplomatic relations and maintained cooperative and friendly relations with countries in the region, of which Iran is an important partner, on the basis of equality, mutual benefit, respect for independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, and non-interference in each other's internal affairs.
We hope that the trend of peace and cooperation in the region will continue to be promoted, creating a stable environment for cooperation opportunities to flourish. In this process, Iran's positive contribution is indispensable, with its very important geopolitical position and role in the region.
Vietnam always strives with ASEAN member countries to build the 2025 Community, a strong and united ASEAN “family” that plays a central role in the region. Cooperation between the two regions: Asia-Pacific and the Middle East, is an important element in fostering peace and stability in the world. Our two countries have a role in this cooperation process.
In addition, both countries have certain capabilities in participating in handling challenges related to food and energy security, participating in supply chains that are being strongly restructured in the world and the region... Close cooperation between the two countries at relevant forums will contribute to global cooperation.
In September 2023, Vietnam will host the Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) with the theme “The role of youth in achieving sustainable development goals, linked to innovation and digital transformation”. We hope that parliaments of IPU member countries and partners will support and participate in this important event.
Ladies and gentlemen,
6. Today, Vietnam and Iran are dynamically developing economies in Asia, both possessing a market of approximately 100 million people, with many advantages that can complement each other. We have a young population structure, a developed youth and intellectual class, with the advantage of an abundant labor force and a high rate of Internet access. We share the aspiration to promote cooperation for peace and development on the basis of the extremely good bilateral political and diplomatic relations.
Towards a Future of Peace and Development with a vision for the next 50 years of relations between the two countries, I propose that we join hands to strengthen the following 4 connections:
One is to connect dialogue and cooperation mechanisms.
Iran is one of the first four countries in the Middle East with which Vietnam established diplomatic relations. Today, Vietnam and Iran consider each other important partners. Political trust is a valuable asset, a foundation, a basis for the cooperation between the two countries to blossom and bear fruit.
I hope that the exchange of delegations at all levels, especially at high levels, will be enhanced, and the effectiveness of parliamentary cooperation mechanisms, the Intergovernmental Committee, the Political Consultation between the two Foreign Ministries and other existing mechanisms should be maintained regularly. The two sides will review and promote the negotiation and signing of cooperation agreements and arrangements in all fields. In particular, parliamentary cooperation plays an important role, especially in perfecting a favorable legal framework for the cooperation process.
Second, digital connectivity, science and technology and transportation.
This is both a direction and a solution for multifaceted cooperation between the two countries in the future. In today's flat world, digital connectivity and science and technology can erase geographical barriers, bringing high added value to cooperation between the two countries in the fields of telecommunications; information technology; digital transformation; new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), cloud computing, nanotechnology to open the door to the future together.
In the era of the 4.0 industrial revolution, the future is not simply an extension of the past. We believe that, in the current conditions of scientific and technological development and the strong trend of digital transformation and digital economic development, developed and developing countries may have to return to the starting point, thereby opening up opportunities for developing countries and latecomers.
Promoting maritime and air routes are existing links to connect the two countries and both Southeast Asia and the Middle East regions.
Third, trade and investment connectivity.
Vietnam and Iran have similar economic scale, population, and development level, have highly complementary economic structures, and do not compete directly with each other. I will just give a small example, Iran is one of the world's leading rice importers while Vietnam is the world's leading exporter. There is still much potential for cooperation in other areas of goods or services that can be developed. The governments of the two countries need to facilitate trade for each other so that goods and services can penetrate each other's markets, and encourage localities and businesses of the two countries to increase trade and investment connections. State agencies should remove difficulties and propose new initiatives so that the business communities of the two countries can cooperate more effectively.
In that spirit, I highly appreciate the results of the Online Workshop “Regional Situation and the Role of Iran and Vietnam” organized by your Institute and the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences on June 14, 2023.
Fourth, connect people to people.
Cultural similarities and depth are valuable assets to promote the links between the two countries. I believe that tourism and education are two important bridges, helping to strengthen the friendship between the people and the young generation of the two countries.
Regarding tourism, this is an area in which we have many strengths. Iran is proud to have 27 world heritages recognized by UNESCO. Vietnam also has 8 world heritages. Developing tourism, especially cultural tourism, is the best way to connect people, bring our two countries closer together, understand each other and love each other more.
In terms of education, many Vietnamese students who received Persian language and culture scholarships after graduation have been spreading good stories about Iran, about the wonders of Iranian culture and the kindness of the Iranian people. Currently, Persian language and culture are taught at Hanoi National University, helping Vietnamese students learn and explore their long-standing culture.
I hope that there will be Vietnamese studies programs taught at universities in Iran. Educational cooperation will foster our common future.
Ladies and gentlemen,
7. Over the past 50 years, overcoming many great challenges and unpredictable historical changes, previous generations have worked tirelessly to cultivate the friendship and multifaceted cooperation between the two countries, achieving many proud achievements and laying the foundation for a brighter future for the friendship and cooperation between the two countries in the next half century.
On behalf of the high-ranking delegation of the Vietnamese National Assembly, I would like to sincerely thank our Iranian friends in different positions for their contributions to the friendly and cooperative relations between the two countries.
8. In lieu of a cordial conclusion and to express the wish for Vietnam-Iran cooperation in a world of cooperation for peace and development, I think no words can compare to the profound and humane verses of the Great Poet Mawlana Rumi:
“Peace spreads across the earth and sky,
Welcome, gold is here.
Resurrect life from now on,
Every second, every minute, is so beautiful and radiant”
Thank you very much and wish you and your family health, happiness and success.
"Salam Alaikum!".
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