The diplomatic sector must lead the way as the country begins a new period in international integration, when it takes up a proactive role in deciding the rule of the game, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said in an interview on the sector’s 70th founding anniversary. The Deputy PM highlighted the contributions that the diplomatic sectors have made to the struggle for national independence and reunification as well as the cause of “doi moi” (reform), integration and national defence since its establishment in August 1945. He recalled that the country’s Provisional Revolutionary Government, set up after the success of the August Revolution, designated diplomacy as one of the four key sectors in national reconstruction, besides the economy, military and education, explaining that diplomacy played an important role in creating a peaceful environment for development. The first diplomatic activity of the sector under the leadership of President Ho Chi Minh, who was also the first Foreign Minister of the country, was the negotiations for the signing of the peace agreement in March 1946. The agreement helped give some time for the country to prepare for the resistance war. Later, the diplomatic sector contributed to ending the nine-year anti-French resistance war through the negotiations for the Geneva Agreement in 1954 and the US war in the country through the negotiations for the Paris Agreement in 1973. During 30 years of reform, the diplomatic sector has played an important role in the maintenance of a peaceful and stable environment for the country via building, developing, and expanding external relations, he said. In addition, the sector has worked hard to mobilize external resources for the national reconstruction, from securing aid to attracting foreign investment and expanding trade markets. Deputy PM and FM Minh affirmed that through diplomatic activities in all aspects, the country’s position in the regional and international arena has increasingly been enhanced. Vietnam has been highly valued by foreign countries for its achievements in socio-economic development as well as the implementation of international commitments, including the Millennium Development Goals, Minh said. The country has also making significant contributions to resolving global issues. As a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council and the UN Human Rights Council, Vietnam has put forth a number of initiatives to implement international commitments. As an ASEAN member state, the country has also contributed to the building of the ASEAN Chapter and implementation of commitments and targets in the bloc, the Deputy PM noted. He continued to say that one of the major lessons that the diplomatic sector has learnt from the past 70 years is about an independent policy to ensure Vietnam maintains good relations with other countries and resolves issues relating to its partners. The second lesson is to take national interests as the top priority, he stressed. The third lesson is to combine national strength with the power of the era or in other words, to win over international support. These lessons have significant meanings for the diplomatic sector to grow and continue to contribute to safeguarding national sovereignty, national independence and promoting international integration, according to the Deputy PM.-VNA