#middle east

The Embassy of Vietnam in Israel on March 22 issued an urgent notice to Vietnamese citizens living, studying and working there as the security situation continues to deteriorate.

PSNews - Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang provided updates on consular protection for Vietnamese citizens in the Middle East at the ministry’s regular press briefing on March 19.

Pham Minh Chinh chaired a meeting with ministries, agencies and the national energy security task force to discuss measures to ensure a proactive energy supply for socio-economic development and support double-digit growth targets amid mounting tensions in the Middle East affecting global energy supply chains.

PSNews - Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang highlighted measures taken by Vietnamese ministries and agencies to ensure trade, economic activities and energy security amid the escalating tensions in the Middle East, at the ministry's regular press briefing on March 5. 

PSNews - Vietnamese citizens in the Middle East have been safe amidst conflicts in the region, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang said on October 17.

PSNews - Vietnamese diplomatic missions in Egypt, Lebanon, Iran, and Israel have continued coordinating closely with local authorities to monitor the situation there and working out citizen protection plans, including evacuation for those in dangerous areas, said Vietnamese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang.

The Vietnam - Israel Free Trade Agreement (VIFTA), which was signed last month, has opened up new opportunities for Vietnamese goods to enter an important market in the Middle East.

South Korea aims to test more than 200,000 members of a church at the center of a surge in coronavirus cases, as countries stepped up efforts to stop a pandemic of the virus that emerged in China and is now spreading in Europe and the Middle East.

Ambassadors from Middle East and African countries expressed their belief that the economic and trade cooperation with Vietnam will thrive in the coming time while answering questions of the Vietnam News Agency’s reporters on the sidelines of a meeting in Hanoi on September 9-10.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh on September 9 highlighted the deepening diplomatic ties between Vietnam and the Middle East and African countries, as well as progress made in their collaboration in other spheres like trade, telecommunications, labor, education and health care.

A workshop in Ho Chi Minh City on June 21 gave several recommendations to Vietnamese firms to help them capitalise on Middle Eastern and African markets, which are believed to be greatly potential destinations for Vietnamese goods.

Saudi Arabia said on Sunday that it wants to avert war in the region but stands ready to respond with “all strength” following last week’s attacks on Saudi oil assets, telling Iran that the ball was now in its court.

An international seminar on “Africa and the Middle East’s Policy towards Asia and Cooperation Opportunities for Vietnam” was held by the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences (VASS) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hanoi on November 15.

A Saudi official hinted on Friday the kingdom was moving forward with a plan to dig a canal that would turn the neighbouring Qatari peninsula into an island, amid a diplomatic feud between the Gulf nations.

U.S. President Donald Trump spoke on Friday with French President Emmanuel Macron and they discussed trade, Iran and the Middle East, the White House said.

The sides will also talk about Ukraine, Syria and other parts of the Middle East.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis travels to the Middle East and eastern Europe next week to play the increasingly familiar role of reassuring allies that the United States is committed to them despite mixed messages from President Donald Trump.

Exports of glutinous rice to China, Vietnam’s biggest rice importer, are stagnating, despite overseas shipments of the commodity soaring 34% in the first half of 2017.

PSNews - Targets of Shadow Brokers are mainly large-scale monetary funds and banks in the Middle East (UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Palestine, Yemen).