Vice State President Meets UN Chief, CICA, Togo Leaders at SCO Summit

On the sidelines of the expanded Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Plus Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, Vietnamese Vice State President Vo Thi Anh Xuan held separate meetings with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, Secretary General of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) Nurlan Ermekbayev, and President of the Council of Ministers of Togo Victor Dukupe-Amenoun. These engagements are seen as part of Vietnam's diplomatic strategy to enhance its international presence and explore frameworks for peace and sustainable development, utilizing the multilateral forum of the SCO Summit. During the meeting with the UN Secretary-General, discussions likely focused on Vietnam's contributions to addressing global challenges and the importance of strengthening international cooperation. Vietnam, which has a keen interest in maintaining regional stability and peace, particularly concerning the South China Sea issue, emphasizes promoting dialogue and cooperation through frameworks like CICA. The meeting with the CICA Secretary General is understood to have involved an exchange of views on advancing confidence-building and security cooperation in Asia. Furthermore, the meeting with the President of the Council of Ministers of Togo reflects Vietnam's foreign policy objective of strengthening ties with African nations, underscoring its commitment to solidarity with developing countries as part of the Global South. These meetings signal Vietnam's ambition to play a constructive role in the international community, beyond its economic growth. Under its one-party system, Vietnam is pursuing economic development while simultaneously seeking to secure national interests and elevate its international standing through active participation in global norms and cooperative mechanisms.