I. Announcements

1. Secretary General Nguyen Phu Trong to pay State visit to ROK (1-4 October 2014)

At the invitation of President Park Geun-hye, The Secretary General of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Viet Nam Nguyen Phu Trong will make a State visit to the Republic of Korea from 1 to 4 October 2014.

The visit by Secretary General Nguyen Phu Trong is aimed at promoting and deepening the Viet Nam – Republic of Korea Strategic Partnership with the focus on enhancing economic cooperation, expanding and improving the effectiveness of cooperation in various areas.

During the visit, Secretary General Nguyen Phu Trong will hold talks with Korean President Park Geun-hye, pay courtesy calls to Prime Minister Jung Hong-won and leaders of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea; meet with leaders of the ruling Party of Saenuri, of Viet Nam – ROK friendship organizations and of Korean top enterprises; and speak at the Korean University of International Studies.

2. Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh to pay official visit to Canada and United States (29 September – 2 October 2014)

At the invitation of Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird and the US Secretary of State John Kerry, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh will make an official visit to Canada from 29 to 30 September 2014 and to the United States from 1 to 2 October 2014.

In Canada, both sides will exchange specific measures to promote the bilateral relations with concrete results and effectiveness, enhance the exchange of delegations at all level, promote cooperation in economics, trade, investment, oil and gas, education-training, science-technology, etc., as well as the bilateral cooperation at multilateral forums.

In the US, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh and the United States Secretary of State John Kerry will exchange views on measures to implement the agreements between the leaders of the two countries on the promotion of the Viet Nam – US Comprehensive Partnership, activities to commemorate the 20th anniversary of diplomatic establishment in 2015, and on international and regional issues of mutual concern.

II. Questions & Answers

In response to reporters’ question on Viet Nam’s position regarding the US airstrike targeting the self-claimed Islamic State, MOFA Spokesperson Le Hai Binh said:

“Viet Nam supports the efforts by the international community to combat all forms of terrorism, as well as acts of extremist violence, in respect of the UN Charter and basic principles of international law regarding the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of countries concerned, guaranteeing the safety for civilians.”