Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Lê Thị Thu Hằng. — Photo zing.vn

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam consistently supports all efforts to promote dialogue and maintain peace and stability on the Korean peninsula, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Lê Thị Thu Hằng said on Thursday.

She was responding at a regular press briefing in Hà Nội to questions about the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) testing an intercontinental ballistic missile on Wednesday.

“Việt Nam is extremely worried about the DPRK’s missile tests on November 29, which seriously violates related resolutions of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and escalates tension in the region,” she said.

She said Việt Nam calls on all parties to strictly abide by relevant resolutions issued by the UNSC and take practical and constructive actions to maintaining regional and global peace, security, and stability for benefit of all people.

Egypt bomb attack condemned

Hằng also said Việt Nam strongly condemned the recent bomb attack on Egypt’s Sinai island, which left many innocent people dead and injured.

“We offer our deepest sympathy to the government and people of Egypt, as well as families of the victims, and believe that the terrorists will be punished,” she said.

According to foreign media reports, the massacre took place at a mosque on Sinai on November 24, killing at least 305 people and injuring 120 others.

Support in Bali 

The spokeswoman informed reporters that the Vietnamese Embassy in Indonesia has asked some 60 Vietnamese citizens on the Indonesian island of Bali to leave dangerous areas near Mount Agung, a volcano.

After receiving warnings from Indonesian authorities of the volcano’s eruption, the embassy updated information from the media and the Internet, and set up hotlines to receive and respond to requests from Vietnamese citizens and tourists in Bali, she said.

The embassy has also asked for locals’ support in the work. Currently, the government of Indonesia has downgraded the alert from “red” to “orange”, the third out of total four alert levels. The international airport in Bali has also been re-opened, allowing some airlines to resume operation in the area.

However, the embassy will continue keep a close watch on the situation. It has recommended that Vietnamese nationals not visit Bali until the Indonesian government further reduces the alert level.

It has also assigned officials to operate the hotline and made plans to send officials and vehicles to assist Vietnamese citizens in Bali in case the volcano re-erupts, she said.

The Bali hotel’s association estimates that about 800-1,200 Vietnamese tourists visit the island each month.

ASEAN will consider EU joining EAS: FM spokeswoman

Việt Nam will work constructively with other relevant countries to consider the EU’s proposal to join the East Asia Summit (EAS), Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Lê Thị Thu Hằng said on Thursday.

Addressing the ministry’s regular press conference in Hà Nội, she said the proposal will be considered on the basis of consensus when membership expansion is discussed.

"Việt Nam highly values the EU’s commitment to further enhancing its co-operation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in general and Việt Nam in particular,” she said.

“Việt Nam wishes that the EU will continue to participate in and contribute to regional co-operation mechanisms initiated by ASEAN, thus helping promote co-operation and development, and maintain peace, security and stability in the region,” she said.

The spokeswoman also highlighted the active achievements of collaboration across sectors between ASEAN and the EU. — VNS