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(VEN) - Vaffirmed by Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang at the eighth WTO Ministerial Conference in Geneva, Switzerland.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, from December 15-17, 2011, Minister Vu Huy Hoang took part in the eighth WTO Ministerial Conference in Geneva, Switzerland. The conference focused on three important issues including importance of the multilateral trade system; trade and development; and the Doha development agenda. The conference heard regular reports of WTO councils and approved proposals on preferential treatments to least developed countries.
In the face of worries of WTO role in the global economic crisis and the Doha negotiation rounds' delay, at the conference, ministers emphasized value of the multilateral trade system and agreed that there is a need to strengthen the system to further meet WTO member's demand, especially in the current difficult context to promote economic growth, job creation and development. Ministers affirmed that development is the main issue in WTO agendas. Ministers agreed that it is necessary for WTO to help developing, least developed countries and small and medium economies to connect to the multilateral trade system.
Pascal Lamy, the WTO director general said that although Doha rounds have been delayed, no members have given up their targets in the Doha declaration. WTO members are seeking for new approaches to promote Doha rounds such as focusing on issues that can make progress to create a catalyst for other discussions.
At the conference, on behalf of Vietnamese government, Minister Vu Huy Hoang made a speech supporting the multilateral trade system and affirmed that Vietnam, a less developed country which joined WTO in the difficult economic situation has fully implemented commitments when joining WTO. Vietnamese government always makes enormous effort to promote the multilateral trade system and considers it as an important issue in the country's policies on international integration.
According to Minister Vu Huy Hoang, apart from the goal for trade liberalization, Vietnam thinks that promoting sustainable and equal development is an important target in Doha rounds. The minister highly appreciated WTO's role in dealing with issues related to development to create favorable conditions for developing and least developed countries to effectively take part in the multilateral trade system. In addition, Vietnam welcomes initiatives on trade promotion assistance because those initiatives will help developing and less developed countries to better cope with unforeseen changes of the global economy.
Minister Vu Huy Hoang welcomed and congratulated accessions of Russia Federation, Republic of Samoa, Republic of Montenegro and Republic of Vanuatu. In addition, Vietnam called upon WTO members to finish membership procedures of the Lao People's Democratic Republic.
Vietnam took part in activities on the sideline of the conference including an ASEAN ministerial meeting, an unofficial meeting among developing countries and a meeting among new WTO members. At those meetings, Vietnam and other developing countries made delegation to support the multilateral trade system and WTO's role and oppose to protectionism to help developing countries to reclaim their benefits from the multilateral trade system.
On the sideline of the conference, Vietnamese delegation met Swiss delegation to discuss the time to start the free trade agreement between Vietnam and the European Free Trade Area (EFTA), met Ukrainian delegation to discuss possibilities to establish a bilateral trade agreement and met Canadian delegation to talk about Canada's possibilities to take part in the Tran Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement./.
By Hong Duong
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