President Triet to Visit Australia, New Zealand

Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet will visit Australia and New Zealand from September 6-12 to boost multifaceted cooperation with these countries, according to Foreign Ministry spokesman Le Dung.

 

Le Dung told local and foreign reporters at a regular meeting of his ministry in Hanoi August 23 that Triet will attend the 15th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders' Meeting in Sydney from September 6-9 at the invitation of the host country's Prime Minister John Howard.

 

Triet shall then pay an official visit to New Zealand with a hope to enhance bilateral cooperation in many fields and an aim to affirm Vietnam’s external policy of multilateralization and diversification.

 

This will be the first trip by a State president of Vietnam to New Zealand since the two countries set up diplomatic ties in 1975.

 

The 15^th APEC summit will focus on climate change and clean development, APEC support for multilateral trade system and the WTO, regional economic integration, security, APEC reforms, new membership admissions, and some other issues such as anti-terrorism and corruption, health and tourism. (VNA, Website of CPV)