I. ANNOUNCEMENT

Vice President of the European Commission to visit Viet Nam (11-12 August 2014)

At the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh, Vice President of the European Commission, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton will pay an official visit to Viet Nam from 11-12 August 2014.

The visit aims to review the Viet Nam – EU bilateral cooperation in recent years, propose measures to promote the relations in the future, enhance coordination at international and multilateral forums such as ASEAN – EU, ASEM, and the UN and to exchange about international and regional issues of mutual concern.

II. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1. Answering reporters’ questions on Viet Nam’s reaction to the situation in Israel and Palestine after the new ceasefire agreement reached, FM Spokesman Le Hai Binh stated:

“Viet Nam condemns military actions targeted at UN schools in Gaza Strip causing casualties for civilians and UN staff. We uphold the newly reached ceasefire agreement and call on parties concerned to respect it and continue to promote negotiations for peace and stability in the region.”

2. Answering reporters’ questions regarding measures to protect Vietnamese nationals in Libya, FM Spokesman Le Hai Binh said:

“As of 7 August 2014, a total of 246 Vietnamese workers have left Libya.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, and Vietnamese missions to Libya, Turkey, Egypt and Algeria have worked closely with companies dispatching and employing Vietnamese workers to actively implement measures to guarantee the safety of Vietnamese workers in Libya.

The MOFA sent a diplomatic note to the Embassy of the Philippines and Embassy of Thailand in Viet Nam calling for cooperation from the Philippines and Thailand to bring Vietnamese nationals out of the dangerous areas.

The Vietnamese missions to Turkey, Egypt and Algeria have worked closely with the local authorities and urged the relevant countries to create favorable conditions for Vietnamese nationals to transit and return to their homeland. In the time to come, more Vietnamese workers are expected to return to Viet Nam by air.”