The Vietnam-Vatican Joint Working Group will convene its fifth meeting in Hanoi from September 10 to 11, focusing on measures to promote relations between the two sides, a Vietnamese official said.

>> Vietnam treasures relations with Vatican: House leader Foreign Ministry Vice-Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang released the information on Friday, the Vietnam News Agency reported. The Vietnamese delegation will be led by Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, while the delegation from the Vatican will be led by Under-Secretary for Relations with States Antoine Camilleri, Hang said. The spokeswoman also added that the meeting will take place as part of an agreement reached during the fourth meeting of the group in June last year. During a visit to the Vatican on March 23, 2014, National Assembly (NA) Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung met with Pope Francis I in the Holy See. At the meeting the Vietnamese official said Vietnam highly appreciates its growing relations with the Vatican. The NA Chairman told the Pope that Vietnam’s Party and State are consistent in their diplomatic policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, cooperation and multi-lateralization of external relations.

He also affirmed that the country considers religions and creeds as a spiritual need of the people that contribute to ensuring and promoting national unity. The Vietnamese legislature’s leader briefed his host on the growing relationship between Vietnam and the Catholic Church, adding that there are many annual meetings between Vietnamese leaders, the pontiff and other Church dignitaries.

He also highly valued the positive outcomes of the Vietnam – Vatican Joint Working Group’s annual meetings and the appointment of a non-permanent Vatican envoy to Vietnam.

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