People-to-people diplomacy was a cause of the whole people, affirmedPresident of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) VuXuan Hong.

In his recent interview granted to theVietnam News Agency, Hong said that on July 6, the Secretary of theCommunist Party of Vietnam Central Committee (CPVCC) issued DirectiveNo. 04 on continued modernisation and improving the effectiveness ofpeople-to-people diplomacy in the future, addressing nine specifictasks.

The Directive set out new requirements andgoals for VUFO and its member organisations, encouraging them tocontribute to renewal under the motto of “proactive, flexible, creativeand effective,” he said.

According to Hong, VUFO andits member organisations played a key role in strengthening friendshipand boosting cooperation between the people of Vietnam and othercountries, as well as actively encouraging partners and internationalfriends to support, cooperate, assist and protect Vietnam in the causeof industrialisation, modernisation and national development anddefence.

To realise foreign guidelines and policiesset by the 11 th National Party Congress, VUFO consistently implementsthe foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, cooperationand development; diversification and multilateralisation of relations;proactive international integration; being a friend, a reliable partnerand a responsible member in the international community; for theinterests of the nation and for a strong and rich socialist country ofVietnam, he said.

The mission of the externalrelation work was to maintain a peaceful and favourable environment, tospeed up industrialisation and modernisation, firmly protectindependence, sovereignty, unification and territorial integrity andimprove the position of the country, making active contributions to thestruggle for peace, national independence, democracy and social progressin the world, he stressed.

Hong said that VUFOwould pay attention to intensifying the expansion, multilateralisationand diversification of partnership relations in order to consolidate andstrengthen the friendship and cooperation with the people of othercountries, reinforce and build the network of international friends, andboost cooperation in economics, investment, culture, and science andtechnology.

As a coordinating organisation forrelations and campaigns, the union will proactively seek aid forhumanitarian projects from foreign non-governmental organisations, hesaid.

It would also take advantage of theinternational people’s strong support for the cause of nationalconstruction and modernisation of the Vietnamese economy, helpingconsolidate and develop an environment of peace, friendship, cooperationand mutual development in the region and the world as well, he added.

Hong went on to say that VUFO and its memberorganisations would continue to develop stable and intensive relationswith organisations of neighbouring countries, ASEAN members andtraditional and key areas.

They will consolidateties with organisations and individuals with goodwill towards Vietnam ,encourage Overseas Vietnamese to participate in the nationalconstruction and development, as well as promote the image of Vietnamin the international arena, he said.

They willcontinue implementing the motto of “actively utilising and improving theefficiency of aid and competently managing operations” in relationswith foreign NGOs, he said./.