Opening Remarks - International Symposium on the Preparation for APEC Viet Nam 2006

H.E. Mr. Vu Khoan, Deputy Prime Minister of Viet Nam,
H.E. Mr Vu Dzung, Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs,
SOM Chair, Senior Officials, and
ladies and gentlemen,

On behalf of the APEC Secretariat, I would like to extend my deep appreciation to Viet Nam for the invitation to speak with you today.

This symposium is both crucial and timely. It serves as a surest sign that Viet Nam has started official consultations with Member Economies on the direction of the APEC process for the year 2006 and beyond. The earlier we set the tone for the year to come, the better our stakeholders are able to prepare and collaborate for the upcoming events.

It is not an easy task to select the themes and sub-themes to properly represent the interests of the APEC stakeholders and the host economy. This exercise is sometimes exhausting, but at the same time is a rewarding process.

Since the SOM Chair already mentioned the details of the theme-selection process for the year 2005, I will refrain from talking about Korea's experience. Rather, I wish to mention three basic points that are important to keep in mind when developing APEC themes.

First of all, clarity with vision: the themes should clearly refer to the imperatives of the coming year in the form of a message that outlines the achievable actions and new areas of focus for APEC. The themes should be written in clear, concise and jargon-free language which is easily understood across cultures.

Second, relevance and continuity: the themes should stay relevant to the APEC's central goals such as two pillars of our activities, and represent the continuity of our work since APEC began. In particular, the themes need to be aligned and demonstrate continuity with the work of the most recent hosts of the APEC process.

Third, the host's flavor: the themes should express a flavor of the host economy. In April, Viet Nam unveiled the logo of the 2006 APEC Year. This design alluded to the Viet Nam's aspirations for the global community that is in a process of continuous development. I presume that Viet Nam has already given careful thought to community-building and sustained growth as main message to be delivered next year.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The year 2006 is an important milestone for the development path of APEC as well as for Viet Nam as the host of the APEC process. I would like to highlight two points in this regard:

First of all, next year would be the first year for Viet Nam as a member of WTO, when its accession process is successfully completed in December this year. Viet Nam could make full use of a series of APEC events for demonstrating Viet Nam's commitment to furthering trade and investment liberalization issues. This will certainly enhance the new brand image of Viet Nam to the outside world as an economy that fully supports the open market and welcomes foreign investment.

Secondly, the following year could be characterized by the potential challenges that the Viet Nam 2006 APEC year may address. Among these:

Finally,

Under the able leadership of the Korean SOM Chair, Ambassador Kim Jong Hoon, and with the active participation of all Senior Officials, we have already made significant progress. In less than 6-month, when the time will come to pass the torch to Viet Nam, Korea will have harvested several notable deliverables for the APEC process. To ensure a natural and smooth transition the Secretariat will work together with the APEC 2005 SOM Chair's Office and the incoming Viet Nam SOM Chair Office, once establidhed.

At a personal level, I wish my colleague, Ambassador Tran Trong Toan, who is Deputy Executive Director, all the best of luck and success for 2006. Likewise, I also wish all involved in APEC Viet Nam 2006 my strongest wishes of success.

Thank you.