Deputy Prime Minister Trần Lưu Quang has a working session with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday. — Photo baochinhphu.vn

HÀ NỘI — Deputy Prime Minister Trần Lưu Quang asked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to advise the Party and State on external policies as well as suitable measures and steps to optimise opportunities and advantages for national development and defence security during a working session with its leaders on Tuesday on foreign relations work in 2023.

The Deputy PM hailed the efforts and achievements of the sector, helping the country deepen relationship with partners, especially strategic and comprehensive partners, traditional friends and other important partners, making great contributions to the country’s socio-economic development and enhancing Việt Nam’s position and reputation.

He requested the sector to continue to follow the external policy adopted by the 13th National Party Congress and Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng’s direction at the national foreign relations conference in 2021, focusing on maintaining peace and stability, serving national socio-economic development and enhancing the country’s prestige.

The Foreign Ministry should continue promoting extensive, in-depth and comprehensive international integration, firmly consolidating border peace, stability, friendship and development, optimising favourable international factors, outside resources as well as signed international agreements to serve the rapid and sustainable growth of the country, the deputy PM instructed.

Quang lauded the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ efforts to build a strategy on the building and development of the sector until 2030, asking the ministry to pay greater attention to Party building and human resources development.

A report delivered by Foreign Minister Bùi Thanh Sơn showed that last year, the sector rolled out comprehensive measures to effectively implement foreign relations tasks in both multilateral and bilateral aspects and in all fields such as economic and cultural diplomacy, border, overseas Vietnamese affairs, external information, and citizen protection.

The sector renovated its mindset and operations for higher efficiency, while staying attached to the Party’s external policy, and focusing on carrying out strategies, programmes and projects in the field of external relations, he said. VNS