(VOV) – A Vietnamese delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan is attending the 19^th “Future of Asia” conference which opened on Thursday in Tokyo. Addressing the event, Nhan stressed the need to increase regional cooperation to overcome differences and settle disputes peacefully. He added that Vietnam is willing to cooperate with other countries in maritime transport and search and rescue missions at sea. He also stressed the need to build a mechanism for annual dialogues on marine safety, anti-piracy, and natural disaster early warning information sharing. Such a mechanism will consolidate trust, preemptively address potential disputes, and strengthen friendship, he said, adding that long term cooperation relies on nations’ willingness to share their advantages for the benefit of the region as a whole.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan addresses the meeting

The event was co-organized by Japan’s Nikkei newspaper and the Japan Center for Economic Research and drew the participation of government leaders, enterprises and a variety of international organizations. Under the theme “Asia’s search for steps toward stronger ties and integration”, the conference discussed issues related to integration, economic development and challenges to regional security in the context of leaders' changes in certain countries including Japan, China and South Korea and increasing territorial conflicts in the region.

The same day, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Both host and guest agreed that Japan and Vietnam will work closely together to bring their strategic partnership to a new level, and to successfully hold activities in the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Year and celebrate 40 years of diplomatic ties in 2013.