Prime Minister of Vietnam Nguyen Tan Dung: None of the country's banks bankrupted in crisis
What was your visit to our country aimed at?
I was glad to visit your beautiful and hospitable country with which we enjoy friendly relations, at the invitation of Kazakhstan's leadership. The Vietnamese people are very delighted that the Kazakhstanis reached great achievements over the last years. Your capital is prosperous, modern and beautiful city. We are glad of successful development of your country, and taking this opportunity, I want to congratulate all Kazakhstanis on the results reached.
We would like to know more specifically what fields the two countries can interact in.
As I said, we have agreed to activate exchange of visits between the two countries' leaders in the political and diplomatic sphere. I invited Kazakhstan President, Prime Minister and Senate Chairman to visit our country in the nearest time, and all of them gratefully accepted this invitation. Your country's leadership agreed with my proposal to open Kazakhstan's Embassy in Vietnam.
Following the results of my visit there were signed documents on promotion and protection of investments, contacts between business circles of both states, terms of citizens' movement of the two countries, cooperation in energy and mineral resources extraction, and education. There were signed seven agreements in total. I am confident that their implementation will raise our relations to a new level.
The Vietnamese say that old bamboo put out young shoots. We know that in 1980s Vietnam adopted the Doi Moi policy. Can you tell about this more?
The Doi Moi is the policy of renewal, construction and market economy development. It is a transition from the centralized economy to the market one. At present the Vietnamese economy became market and integrated into the world one. The country joined the WTO and supports diplomatic and economic relations with almost all countries of the world. Over 90 countries realize investment projects in Vietnam. Over the last 20 years annual growth of the country's GDP made up 7-8 percent. At the same time, structure and potential of Vietnam's economy improved and increased.
Today Vietnam is one of the major world exporters of many goods including rice, coffee, ketchup, pepper, rubber. We also occupy one of the top places on export of textiles, shoes and we begin to conquer the world market for electronic goods export.
It is very important that the political situation in our country is stable. Our stability and security is always based on faith and support of our people, and the Vietnamese positions on the international arena strengthen steadily. Nowadays Vietnam is a member of many international organizations. Now we are a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2008-2009, and in 2010 Vietnam will chair the ASEAN.
Your country exports appliances, coffee; you have mining and technology parks. So, is Vietnam an agrarian or industrial country?
Vietnam is a developing country. Of course, living standard and GDP index are not very high - at an average USD 1.100 per capita per year. The structure of our economy consists of industrial, agrarian sphere and services sector. 40 percent are accounted for industry, another 40 percent - services sector, and 20 percent - agriculture. Now we are in the process of industrialization.
You said that Vietnam is a member of many international organizations and unions. How do you estimate the CICA?
Vietnam highly appraises Kazakhstan's role and position in ensuring the Asian security. We appraise Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev's contribution to the CICA forum directed to maintenance and keeping peace and stability in the region and in the whole world. On this basis, the Vietnamese Government decided to become a full member of the CICA at the meeting with the Kazakh President. We hope that, taking part in this forum our country will make its contribution to this Organization's activity.
According to you, the country's economy grows. Does the Vietnamese Government have recipes on overcoming the financial crisis? In the connection with the world crisis many countries face unemployment. How do you solve this problem?
Really, the crisis affected the Vietnamese economy. The Government of our country took a number of measures on stabilization of all economic spheres - from the financial-monetary to investment sector, and on support of the people's living standard, including ensuring necessary social benefits. We can note three main moments in the struggle against the crisis.
The first one - we have stabilized macro-economy and contained inflation, maintaining stability of our financial-monetary system. Suffice it to say that none of the Vietnamese banks faced bankruptcy.
Secondly, we were able to maintain high level of the economic development in comparison with other countries. Last year this index made up 6.2 percent, this year - 5.2 percent. Vietnam is in the top 10 countries, the level of GDP growth of which exceeds the mark of 5 percent. And the third one is success of our measures - it is provision of social policy for people with very active participation of the state. The most important thing is control and management of the entire economy and society by the state.
Unemployment keeps on at the level of 5 percent. But I should say that the unemployment level increased a little for the last time.
Our traditional question. What qualities should a modern politician have?
The first thing that comes to mind, first of all, is love for his people. A politician should sacrifice all for his country.
The second one is an ability to lead, because it is necessary to conduct correct policy for having opportunity to mobilize forces of the whole country. The third - the politician should be able to bring his country to the global level for full integration into the world community and maintain interests and priorities of his country.
At the same time, obligations of every high-level politician are important not only behind his people, but behind the world community too.
It is reflected in his conditions on maintenance peace and prevention of wars and terrorism, environment protection and prevention of different epidemics. These issues require participation of all states, their leaders should think of it.
Any politician as every ordinary person should take care of his family and relatives.
Thank you for the interview.
