President Triet meets Pope during Italy visit

President Nguyen Minh Triet shakes hands with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican in Italy. — VNA/VNS Photo Nguyen Khang

VATICAN CITY — President Nguyen Minh Triet yesterday reaffirmed that Viet Nam consistently pursued the foreign policies of independence and sovereignty aimed at ensuring the nation was a trustworthy partner and responsible member of the world community.

Triet made the comments during his meeting with Pope Benedict XVI yesterday. The President said Viet Nam was willing to boost ties with the Vatican in the spirit of peace, co-operation and on the basis of respecting international laws.

Triet said Viet Nam always respected and assured people’s freedom of belief and considered followers of all religions an integral part of the Vietnamese nation. With the Vietnamese Government’s support, all religions, including the Catholic Church, had been provided with favourable conditions to thrive, he said.

Triet said he appreciated the Pope’s message to the Viet Nam Catholic Church that all religious followers should be good parishioners as well as good citizens.
He said he hoped the Vietnam Catholic Church would transform the Pope’s message into practice to contribute to the nation building.

Pope Benedict XVI thanked Viet Nam for its support to the Viet Nam Catholic Church in the successful organisation of an opening ceremony for the Christian Year 2010 event in the northern province of Ha Nam.

Pope Benedict XVI asked the State of Viet Nam to continue providing more opportunities for the Vietnam Catholic Church to get involved in humanitarian, healthcare and educational activities. The Pope also said he wished to enhance ties between Viet Nam and the Vatican.

Also yesterday, President Triet met Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Vatican Secretary of State. Triet said he hoped Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone would provide the Viet Nam Catholic Church with specific instructions to implement Pope Benedict’s teachings and messages.

Triet said he believed that with good will and determination from both sides, the relationship between Viet Nam and the Vatican would develop to a satisfactory level.

Credit crunch
Viet Nam’s efforts to overcome the world credit crunch is worthy of praise, President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies Gianfranco Fini said to President Nguyen Minh Triet on Thursday evening.

Fini, who last visited Viet Nam in 2004, also said he hoped Viet Nam would work to boost relations between ASEAN and the EU when it chaired the association next year.

Triet, who has been on an offcial visit to Italy, said he appreciated the legislative co-operation enjoyed by Italy and Viet Nam.

Triet said he hoped Vietnamese and Italian law-makers would expand bilateral relations andmake the most of agreements signed by the two countries.
Triet also met Oliviero Diliberto, secretary general of the Communist Refoundation Party, and a member of the Italian Democratic Party. Triet thanked his communist and left-wing friends and the Italian people for the valuable support they had given Viet Nam during its wartime struggles and subsequent development process.
He also expressed his delight with the fruitful ties enjoyed by the Communist Party of Viet Nam and the Italian communists and socialists.

“The Communist Party of Viet Nam always wants to boost its relations with the Italian communist and left-wing parties,” Triet said. He also conveyed general secretary Nong Duc Manh’s regards to Diliberto, Ferrero and the Italian Democratic Party leader Luigi Bersani.

The Italian communist and leftist leaders said they believed in Viet Nam’s further success under the leadership of the Communist Party.
They said they wished to enhance ties with the Communist Party of Viet Nam and learn from Viet Nam’s renewal experience, particularly in developing the economy while ensuring social harmony.

Triet also met Gianni Alemanno, mayor of Rome, on the day. — VNS
Vietnam News  12-12-2009