Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Phạm Bình Minh presents the insignia 'For the cause of the diplomatic sector' and the foreign minister’s certificates of merit to several collectives and individuals for their outstanding contributions to external affairs over the past year. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs held its annual meeting with the press at the Government Guesthouse in Hà Nội on Tuesday, praising press agencies and reporters nationwide for their contributions to the achievements of the diplomatic sector in the past year.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Phạm Bình Minh said the sector scored important achievements amid difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said Việt Nam successfully accomplished its roles as ASEAN 2020 Chair, Chair of the 41st General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA-41) and a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the 2020-2021 tenure. 

Việt Nam led and co-ordinated regional efforts to overcome challenges and achieve successes in building the ASEAN Community, effectively coped with the pandemic, flexibly held more than 550 online meetings, and adopted a record number of documents, he said.

During the first year of serving as a non-permanent member of the UNSC for the 2020-2021 tenure, Việt Nam made a number of hallmarks such as pushing forward the UNSC’s adoption of the Presidential Declaration on the compliance with the UN Charter, organising the ASEAN-UN dialogue, and proposing and promoting the UN General Assembly’s Resolution on designating December 27 as International Day of Epidemic Preparedness.  

According to him, Việt Nam deepened bilateral ties via online meetings at all levels, including 34 phone talks and virtual meetings between high-ranking leaders.

Additionally, Việt Nam was also effective in citizen protection work, assisted overseas Vietnamese in overcoming difficulties caused by the pandemic, and conducted some 300 flights carrying home more than 80,000 citizens from countries and territories worldwide. Positive results were seen in protecting borders and sovereignty.

Minh said such achievements would not have been popularised without great contributions by domestic press agencies and reporters who successfully conveyed the Party and State’s important diplomatic messages to the public at home and abroad.

Ahead of the Lunar New Year, the official wished that the press would continue working closely with the foreign ministry to popularise external activities and enhance understanding and friendship among nations, contributing to accomplishing diplomatic tasks assigned by the Party and State.

In his speech, Deputy General Director of the Vietnam News Agency Lê Quốc Minh hailed the foreign ministry’s units for providing effective support for press agencies and reporters.

He congratulated the ministry on its achievements in 2020, contributing to making Việt Nam a bright spot in the region and the world amid the pandemic. He said the press will continue working closely with the diplomatic sector to deliver correct information, bringing Việt Nam to the world and the world to Việt Nam.

On the occasion, Deputy PM Minh presented the insignia 'For the cause of the diplomatic sector' and the foreign minister’s certificate of merit to several collectives and individuals for their contributions to external affairs over the past year. —VNS