Vietnamese embassy hosts ASEAN Committee meeting in Greece
The Vietnamese Embassy in Greece, serving as Chair of the ASEAN Committee in Athens (ACAT), convened the 36th ACAT meeting in the Greek capital, bringing together ambassadors and working groups from ASEAN member states in Greece, including Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Greece Pham Thi Thu Huong (second from left) transfers the rotating ACAT Chairmanship to her Indonesian counterpart. (Photo: Vietnamese Embassy in Greece)
Athens (VNA)♎ – The Vietnamese Embassy in Greece, serving as Chair of the ASEAN Committee in Athens (ACAT), convened the 36th ACAT meeting in the Greek capital on June 26, bringing together ambassadors and working groups from ASEAN member states in Greece, including Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Greece Pham Thi Thu Huong opened the meeting with a review of the committee’s activities in the first half of 2025, including a meeting between ACAT ambassadors and the Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs, the successful third ASEAN Plus Bazaar, the ASEAN Family Day, and engagements with the Hellenic-ASEAN Business Council, which further deepened political, economic, and cultural connections between ASEAN nations and Greek authorities, businesses, and people.
The ASEAN ambassadors shared views on global and regional issues of mutual concern, as well as updates on bilateral exchanges and cooperation with Greece. They agreed to intensify outreach to Greek officials, localities, and businesses in the second half, while promoting ASEAN’s unity through events like ASEAN Day and ASEAN Family Day.
The ASEAN ambassadors at the meeting (Photo: Vietnamese Embassy in Greece)
At the event, Ambassador Huong transferred the rotating ACAT Chairmanship to her Indonesian counterpart. She later hosted a reception attended by senior Greek officials, including the Director General of the Asia and Oceania Department at the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Director General of International Relations and Public Affairs of the Hellenic Parliament. Representatives from key ASEAN partners, including Japan and the Republic of Korea, also joined, alongside ASEAN ambassadors and their spouses.
Expressing appreciation for the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Parliament’s support, she praised the active involvement of ASEAN partner countries in ACAT’s activities and hoped for stronger collaboration ahead./.
Themed “emerging trends in terrorism and violent extremism”, the event drew over 200 participants from domestic and international agencies, discussing the rapid evolution of terrorism and the need for stronger regional and global cooperation.
ASEAN must deepen collaboration through platforms such as the ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime (SOMTC) to ensure regional responses keep pace with the rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape.
Ambassadors, Consuls General, along with staff and their families, joined traditional sports and cultural activities of Southeast Asia and performances bearing regional identity, thus contributing to strengthening unity and the ASEAN community spirit in New York.
Addressing the meeting, Party General Secretary To Lam expressed his pleasure at meeting a large number of Vietnamese living and working in the RoK, acknowledging and appreciating their efforts in contributing to the growing Vietnam–RoK partnership.
He also welcomed the “Vietnam Private Sector Panorama” as a platform for dialogue, awareness-raising, and inspiring a wealth-creation movement, emphasising that it must deliver tangible results.
During a meeting on August 10 in Seoul with 100 representatives from the RoK’s intellectuals, associations, people’s organisations, businesses, and non-governmental organisations operating in Vietnam, Party General Secretary To Lam expressed his gratitude to Korean friendship, economic, cultural associations, universities, research institutes, individuals, and NGOs for their significant contributions to nurturing the Vietnam–RoK relationship.
Party General Secretary To Lam met with Chairman of the Republic of Korea (RoK)–Vietnam Parliamentary Friendship Group Ahn Gyu-back in Seoul on August 10 as part of his state visit to the RoK.
The National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee is scheduled to convene its 48th session on August 11-13, with August 14-15 set as a backup date, according to the NA Office.
Vietnam’s Ambassador to Brazil and Bolivia Bui Van Nghi has led an embassy delegation to attend official events marking the 200th anniversary of Bolivia’s Independence Day.
Party General Secretary To Lam met with members of the Vietnam Innovation Network in Korea (VINK) and Vietnamese experts living and working in the Republic of Korea (RoK) in Seoul on August 10 as part of his state visit to the RoK.
In an interview with Korean media on the occasion of Party General Secretary To Lam’s state visit to the RoK, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son affirmed that the visit demonstrates Vietnam’s strong resolve to further deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with the RoK, with the aim of fostering greater political trust, closer strategic coordination, more substantive and comprehensive cooperation, and stronger bonds of friendship between the two countries' people.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, who is also a Politburo member and Secretary of the Government Party Committee, attended the 4th Party Congress of the EVN Party Organisation for the 2025–2030 tenure on August 10, directing EVN to ensure power supply to meet the country’s development demands with double-digit growth set for the coming years.
Party General Secretary To Lam and his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly, along with a high-ranking delegation of Vietnam arrived in Seongnam Air Base in Seoul on August 10 afternoon (local time), beginning a state visit to the Republic of Korea from August 10-13.
General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee To Lam and his spouse Ngo Phuong Ly departed from Hanoi on August 10 morning for a four-day state visit to the Republic of Korea (RoK), which is made at an invitation of RoK President Lee Jae Myung.
As part of the ASEAN Day celebrations, the Vietnamese embassy will also host the ASEAN Family Day 2025 in Ottawa to foster solidarity and community spirit among ASEAN members in Canada.
State President Luong Cuong’s trip once again reaffirmed the Party and State’s foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification and multilateralisation of relations. It also reflected the strong trend of enhanced cooperation among countries of the Global South in shaping a new, more multipolar, fair and equitable world order.
The outcomes of Party General Secretary To Lam's visit will serve as a driving force and source of inspiration for the two countries to inherit, promote, and elevate their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, contributing to the national construction and development cause in each country, and to peace, cooperation, and development in the region and the world.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on August 9 inspected the construction site of the new Phong Chau bridge, and surveyed a planned route for the Lao Cai – Hanoi – Hai Phong railway section running through the northern province of Phu Tho.
Across print, broadcast, and online platforms, Angolan media portrayed State President Luong Cuong's visit as a warm and historic occasion, strengthening bilateral ties and boosting Vietnam’s presence in Africa through the AU.
The 500kV Lao Cai – Vinh Yen power transmission line has a total investment of over 7.41 trillion VND (282.5 million USD), and a total length of 229.5 km, passing through 31 communes in the two provinces, and comprising 468 transmission tower foundations.
The visits reflected the elevated position of Vietnam’s foreign policy in the new era—aimed at not only advancing ties with key regional partners like Egypt and Angola but also delivering a strategic message about Vietnam’s commitment to deepening relations with African nations as a whole.
At their talks and meetings, President Cuong and Angola’s top leaders affirmed that the close brotherhood and traditional friendship are a valuable shared asset and a solid foundation for the two nations to advance into a new phase of development.
The ruling People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) attaches great importance to the friendship, solidarity, and comradeship with the Communist Party of Vietnam, and voiced her Party’s wish to further deepen and expand relations between the two sides for the benefit of the Vietnamese and Angolan people.
