Vietnam border, seas, islands

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh has suggested Liberia back the stance of Vietnam and ASEAN on the East Sea, while stressing the need for the full and serious implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) towards the early conclusion of a Code of Conduct (COC) in the waters.

He made the suggestion during his talks with Liberian Foreign Minister Marjon Vashti Kamara in Hanoi early this month.

The Vietnamese official affirmed the principle stance of Vietnam and ASEAN is to solve disputes, including those in the East Sea, by peaceful means, including full respect for diplomatic and legal processes on the basis of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and objection to the use of force or threat of use of force.

At the talks, the two sides affirmed their determination to double or triple the current bilateral trade of 35.3 million USD and agreed on concrete measures to further the bilateral ties in a deep and effective manner.

Minh asserted that Vietnam always attaches importance to developing its friendship and cooperation with Liberia, a promising partner in West Africa.

They agreed to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese and Liberian enterprises to promote trade and attend fairs and exhibitions in respective countries.

They discussed measures to step up collaboration in agriculture, oil and gas, telecommunication, and defence-security, and agreed to soon sign the framework agreement on cooperation between the two Governments, the bilateral trade agreement, the agreement on investment encouragement and protection, the protocol on cooperation between the two foreign ministries, creating a favourable legal corridor for bilateral cooperation.

Minh also suggested the West African country support Vietnam’s bid to become a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for the 2020-2021 tenure and recognise Vietnam as a full market economy.

On this occasion, Vietnam and Liberia signed an agreement on visa exemption for diplomatic and official passport holders, the first agreement between the two countries.-VNA