(VOVworld)- Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh on Friday attended and delivered speeches at some major discussions of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland including workshops on “ASEAN’s Agenda” and “Global Geopolitical Prospects in 2015”.

Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh

The Deputy Prime Minister highlighted the importance of ASEAN economies in maintaining Asia’s economic growth saying that ASEAN played an active role in promoting regional connectivity. He stressed the need to help ASEAN members that are less developed to catch up with other developed economies in the community, and strengthen reform to change opportunities into tangible benefits. He said it’s important to respect ASEAN’s neutral principles in boosting regional integration. Speaking to Reuters on this occasion, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh referred to the prospects of Vietnam and its relations with other partners as well as the importance of the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Vietnam. He said Vietnam has established diplomatic ties with more than 180 nations, and has had Strategic Partnership and Comprehensive Partnership with a lot of partners, including the five permanent members in the United Nations Security Council, which has promoted the role and status of Vietnam. He was optimistic about Vietnam’s prospects of development with the goal of becoming an industrialized nation in the next decade. Regarding the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership relations with China, he said that with two-way trade turnover reaching US$60 billion, China is the largest trade partner of Vietnam. Regarding the settlement of issues in the East Sea, he reiterated Vietnam’s consistent stance of addressing the issues through peaceful negotiations, based on international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. He said Vietnam wants to maintain the status quo in the East Sea.

In regard to the US’s partial removal of lethal weapon embargo on Vietnam, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh said that removal is the final step in the full normalization of bilateral ties. In economics, the US is Vietnam’s largest and very important market. Vietnam has participated in TPP negotiations with the US and some other countries.

Regarding the prospects of Vietnam-India relationship, the Deputy Prime Minister said that Vietnam and India always treasured their good relationship in the past and at present. India is Vietnam’s important partner in terms of politics, economics and national defense.