Processing cashew nuts for export. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Government is taking action to protect the legitimate rights and interests of Vietnamese cashew exports who may have been scammed out of millions of dollars in Italy. 

At the ministry’s regular press conference held virtually on Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lê Thị Thu Hằng said most recently, on March 14, the Prime Minister directed ministries and sectors to urgently coordinate with the Việt Nam Cashew Association (Vinacas) to examine and clarify the reasons of the case to take measures to assist businesses and people involved and ensure their interests.

Immediately after receiving Vinacas’ notice on the suspected scam, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) directed the Vietnamese Embassy in Italy to contact the owners of the ships transporting the cashew nuts. The embassy also sent officials to the Italian cities of Genova and Napoli to verify the information.

The embassy sent a diplomatic note to the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Economic Development, Ministry of Economy and Finance, police, and other agencies, requesting a quick investigation into the case and necessary measures taken to protect the legitimate rights and interests of Vietnamese enterprises.

According to the spokesperson, the embassy and the Vietnamese Trade Office in Italy have talked to the Vietnamese businesses involved and Vinacas to discuss specific solutions. They suggested the exporters contact the international economic court and the Việt Nam International Arbitration Centre to ask for their intervention in stopping the delivery of goods to the suspicious buyers, hence minimising losses for the Vietnamese firms.

Hằng said, following the direction of the Prime Minister, the MoFA will continue to coordinate with relevant ministries and branches to shed light on the case, actively support domestic enterprises in solving it and ensure the maximum safety for transactions between Vietnamese and Italian enterprises in the time to come.

Vietnamese exporters are at risk of losing hundreds of millions of dollars in the suspected cashew nut scam, in which they have not received any payment as agreed for the shipment of 100 containers of cashew nuts to Italy. 

Fundamental rights

Hằng also affirmed Việt Nam’s consistent policy of protecting and promoting fundamental rights of citizens, including the rights of women.

Hằng made the pledge when asked to comment on the US Department of State’s naming Phạm Thi Đoan Trang as a recipient of the 2022 International Women of Courage Award, at the ministry’s regular press conference held virtually.

She stressed that Việt Nam’s efforts and achievements in ensuring and promoting human rights have been acknowledged and commended by the international community.

"Việt Nam holds that the US Department of State’s presentation of the award to Phạm Thị Đoan Trang, a person who has violated Vietnamese law and has been brought to trial and is serving her prison sentence, is a subjective act that is neither appropriate for nor conducive to the development of the Việt Nam-US relations," the spokesperson said. — VNS