VN, Singapore pledge to beef up ties
Việt Nam and Singapore have agreed to work together to seek new directions for co-operation in order to optimise opportunities and benefits brought about by free trade agreements and the ASEAN Economic Community. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Phạm Bình Minh and Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan reached the agreement during their talks in Hà Nội on October 26 as part of the Singaporean minister’s official visit to Việt Nam. The two officials both pledged to optimise existing cooperation mechanisms, such as the Economic Connectivity Ministerial Meeting, the deputy ministerial-level Defence Policy Dialogue, the deputy ministerial-level Political Consultation and the training programme for Vietnamese law enforcement officers. The two ministers also signed an agreement on research programmes for senior Vietnamese Party officials for 2017-19.
