On July 30, in Quang Ninh province, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs coordinated with the People's Committee of Quang Ninh province to organize the second Vietnam Honorary Consulate Conference abroad.
Attending the Conference were Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang, Vietnamese Ambassadors abroad, Vietnamese Honorary Consuls around the world, and nearly 100 delegates representing ministries, departments, branches, localities, businesses and associations.
The conference aims to summarize and evaluate the operation of the Vietnamese Honorary Consulate system abroad in the past time; exchange experiences, propose solutions to continue to promote the role of Honorary Consuls in consular work, citizen protection, and promote economic, trade, investment cooperation, connecting localities, businesses and promoting Vietnam's image to the world.
Speaking at the opening, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang emphasized that the Conference is organized in the context of the country entering a new stage of development after the 14th Party Congress, before the 33rd Diplomatic Conference and the 22nd National Foreign Affairs Conference.
The Deputy Minister highly appreciated the positive contributions of the Vietnamese Honorary Consulate Network abroad in supporting Vietnamese people abroad, especially in difficult periods such as the COVID-19 pandemic and in areas with conflict hotspots; at the same time, affirming the increasingly important role of Honorary Consuls in promoting cooperative relations between Vietnam and countries and localities.
In that context, Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang oriented the Conference to focus on exchanging 3 key content groups:
One is to evaluate practice, share experiences and propose solutions to improve the operational efficiency of the Honorary Consulate system.
Two is to update major orientations in Vietnam's foreign policy so that Honorary Consuls can continue to accompany the country's integration and development process.
Three is to strengthen economic, trade, investment cooperation, promote the country's image and attract resources for development.
Speaking to welcome the Conference, Vice Chairman of Quang Ninh Provincial People's Committee Le Van Anh introduced the potentials, advantages and development orientations of the locality, and expressed his wish that Honorary Consuls continue to be a bridge to promote cooperation and attract investment in high-tech, logistics, seaports, as well as promote Quang Ninh tourism to international friends.
At the two working sessions of the Conference, delegates focused on discussing two main groups of contents on consular work, citizen protection and economic, trade, investment cooperation, connecting localities and businesses.
Presentations and speeches by Vietnamese Ambassadors abroad, representatives of ministries, sectors, Vietnamese businesses and Honorary Consuls also shared many practical experiences on improving the operational efficiency of the Honorary Consulate system; supporting citizens in areas without Vietnamese representative offices; strengthening connections between Honorary Consuls and localities and businesses; promoting exports, attracting high-quality investment, developing human resources and promoting Vietnamese image and tourism.
Delegates unanimously agreed that in the context of Vietnam entering a new stage of development, the Vietnamese Honorary Consulate Network abroad needs to continue to promote its role as a reliable bridge between Vietnam and international partners, actively contributing to citizen protection, supporting the Vietnamese community abroad, and promoting economic, trade, investment, science and technology, culture and tourism cooperation, making practical contributions to the cause of national development.
At the closing session, Deputy Minister Le Thi Thu Hang, on behalf of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, presented the Medal "For the Diplomatic Cause of Vietnam", Certificates of Merit from the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Letters of Commendation from the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs to Honorary Consuls who have made many positive contributions to foreign affairs and the development of the Vietnam Honorary Consulate Network abroad in the past time.
The second Vietnam Honorary Consulate Conference was attended by nearly 30 honorary Vietnamese Consuls from 20 countries and territories across all continents of the world.
Honorary Consuls are businessmen, lawyers, scholars, social activists... with prestige and influence in the locality, appointed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam. With a wide network of relationships and local understanding, Honorary Consuls are an important bridge in promoting friendly and cooperative relations between Vietnam and other countries, supporting citizen protection work within the assigned scope, and at the same time contributing to promoting the image of the country and people of Vietnam and connecting cooperation in the fields of economy, trade, investment, culture, education and tourism.
