{"id":41103,"date":"2019-03-05T14:00:09","date_gmt":"2019-03-05T14:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/queme.org\/?p=41103"},"modified":"2019-03-18T18:12:11","modified_gmt":"2019-03-18T18:12:11","slug":"eu-vietnam-dialogue-interview-with-maya-kocijancic-umberto-gambini","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/eu-vietnam-dialogue-interview-with-maya-kocijancic-umberto-gambini\/","title":{"rendered":"EU\u2013Vietnam 8th Human Rights Dialogue in Brussels: Interview with Maya Kocijancic &#038; Umberto Gambini"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-audio aligncenter\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/queme.org\/app\/uploads\/2019\/03\/2019-03-06_interview-with-Umberto-Gambini-and-Maya-Kocijancic-EU-VN-Dialogue-1.mp3\"><\/audio><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On Monday 4<sup>th<\/sup> March 2019, the\nEuropean Union and Vietnam held their annual human rights dialogue in Brussels.\nThis is the 8<sup>th<\/sup> time the EU and Vietnam have held these high-level\ndialogues, which take place alternatively in Brussels and Hanoi. On this\noccasion, Radio Free Asia spoke with <strong>Maya\nKocijancic, <\/strong>EU spokesperson on Foreign Affairs and Foreign Policy and <strong>Umberto Gambini, <\/strong>head of staff of MEP\nRamon Tremosa i Balcells to hear their views about the content and purpose of\nthe dialogue, and how effective it is in promoting human rights progress in\nVietnam.&nbsp; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"940\" height=\"529\" src=\"https:\/\/queme.org\/app\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Maya-Kocijancic.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-41104\" srcset=\"https:\/\/queme.org\/app\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Maya-Kocijancic.jpg 940w, https:\/\/queme.org\/app\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Maya-Kocijancic-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/queme.org\/app\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Maya-Kocijancic-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/queme.org\/app\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Maya-Kocijancic-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/queme.org\/app\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Maya-Kocijancic-800x450.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 940px) 100vw, 940px\" \/><figcaption> Maya Kocijancic<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>RFA:<\/strong> <em>Maya Kocijancic, could you\ntell me what were the main issues discussed at the EU-Vietnam Human Rights Dialogue\non Monday ?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Maya\nKocijancic<\/strong>: Indeed, the EU and Vietnam held the\nannual human rights dialogue yesterday in Brussels. We discussed a wide range\nof issues related to freedom of expression, cybersecurity, the death penalty,\nenvironmental and labour eights, cooperation within the United Nations\nframework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>RFA:<\/strong> <em>What was the Vietnamese\ndelegation\u2019s reaction to the issues you raised?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Maya\nKocijancic:<\/strong> I would look at it from a different\npoint of view. I think it is important to have these regular dialogues, because\nthey give us an opportunity to bring up very concrete cases of prisoners of\nconscience, but also to detect ongoing trends. We have observed some positive\ntrends in Vietnam but also some negative developments. On the positive side,\nover the past 20 years, reform and modernization have helped Vietnam to make\nprogress in building a more prosperous and dynamic society and improve sectors\nsuch as education, health services, and make progress in social and economic\nrights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the other hand we have seen some\nnegative developments in terms of freedom of expression, both online and\noffline, freedom of assembly, association, press, and religion or belief. These\ndevelopments are very worrying. For example, some of the new laws passed in\nVietnam have actually hampered the exercise of fundamental freedoms. There are\nreports of human rights defenders subjected to intimidations, torture, very\nsevere prison sentences for exercising their right to freedom of expression. We\nraised all this very clearly. We demand the release of these people, we insist\non the importance of access to lawyers, family visits etc. We let the\ndelegation know that we expect action, but that has to happen inside the\ncountry. This is why we not only have the dialogue, but many other actions to\npress for human rights in Vietnam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>RFA:<\/strong> <em>What other actions do you\nhave in connection to the dialogue?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Maya\nKocijancic:<\/strong> During the visit, the Vietnamese\ndelegation visited the European Parliament to see how democracy in Europe\nworks. And before each dialogue, we always organize consultations with civil\nsociety in Europe and in Vietnam. This is an essential part of the main human\nrights dialogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Radio\nFree Asia (RFA):<\/strong> <em>Umberto Gambini, you are Head of Office to MEP Ramon Tremosa. Your\noffice has been very involved in Vietnam, and MEP Tremosa signed a letter with\n32 other MEPs from all political parties calling on the EU to press for human\nrights improvements. What is your assessment of the human rights situation in\nVietnam today?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"199\" height=\"249\" src=\"https:\/\/queme.org\/app\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Umberto-Gambini.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-41107\" srcset=\"https:\/\/queme.org\/app\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Umberto-Gambini.jpg 199w, https:\/\/queme.org\/app\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Umberto-Gambini-150x188.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px\" \/><figcaption>Umberto Gambini<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Umberto\nGambini:<\/strong> Yes, nice to speak to you, and hello to\nall citizens and friends in Vietnam and Asia. We follow Vietnam very closely.\nThe European Union is in the process of negotiating and finalizing a future\ntrade agreement with Vietnam, but as Liberals we pay very much attention to\nhuman rights, religious freedom, civil society activities, and we are very\nconcerned about the evolution of this situation. As we understand it, things\nare far from perfect and they are not improving as fast as we would like. We\nknow that religious freedom is not good, Buddhist monk Thich Quang Do is still\nunder house arrest. We know there is a new Cybersecurity Law that places heavy\nrestrictions on freedom of expression online and offline. We know that civil\nsociety leaders are incarcerated for expressing themselves. This is not the way\nSoutheast Asia should be moving. We think that a free Vietnam is a greater\nVietnam. The Vietnamese regime and government should not be afraid of a\npluralistic society. We believe there are many problems to be solved. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>RFA<\/strong>: <em>You mentioned that, the EU\nis finalizing a Free Trade Agreement with Vietnam, which needs the approval of\nthe European Parliament. What is the status of this today?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Umberto\nGambini:<\/strong> As you know, the EP\u2019s mandate ends in May,\nand there will be European elections for a new Parliament. So it will be for\nthe new European Parliament to decide whether they should ratify the agreement,\nand to decide if Vietnam has made enough progress or not. The current EU\nCommissioner Cecilia Malstrom cares a lot about human rights, and she is\nworking hard on this agreement. I think we should trust her. But it is up to\nthe next Parliament to decide. The FTA should come before the Council of\nEurope&nbsp; in May, and then later before the\nnew Parliament. Of course, this may change, but this is what we hear from the\ncurrent Rumanian Presidency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>RFA<\/strong> : <em>But do you think the EP\nwill take human rights into account when they decide on this free trade\nagreement?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Umberto\nGambini:<\/strong> Of course, of course. The modern Free\nTrade Agreements have a chapter on sustainability and human rights. This\nchapter is binding. So definitely, Parliament will make the European Commission\naccountable to ensure Vietnam respects this. You know, agreements can be\nsuspended when there are violations of human rights. Take Cambodia for example\n&#8211; the EU has just suspended preferential tariffs to Cambodia because of gross\nviolations of human rights. So Vietnam should look at what\u2019s happening to its\nneighbours. This is what we are pushing for in Parliament. Trade agreements are\nnot just words, and there are severe consequences if you do not respect the\nrules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>RFA<\/strong>: <em>One last question \u2013 what do\nyou think about the EU-Vietnam Human Rights Dialogue? Is it a useful process or\njust a smokescreen that Vietnam uses to pretend it cares about human rights?<\/em>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Umberto\nGambini:<\/strong> Listen, I think that dialogue channels\nshould always be open. Even the Dalai Lama, whom I have met along with our\nfriends Marco Pannella and Emma Bonino, continues to dialogue with China. Although\nChina is not exactly accommodating on Tibet, he still believes in dialogue. Of\ncourse, no-one is blind, and we must press to make sure things move in the\nright direction. But I don\u2019t think it helps to stop talking. It\u2019s like in a couple.\nI think we should continue to talk to each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/queme.org\/app\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Umberto-Gambini-Dalai-Lama.jpg\" alt=\"The Dalai Lama &amp; Umberto Gambini\" class=\"wp-image-41110\" width=\"432\" height=\"583\" srcset=\"https:\/\/queme.org\/app\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Umberto-Gambini-Dalai-Lama.jpg 576w, https:\/\/queme.org\/app\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Umberto-Gambini-Dalai-Lama-222x300.jpg 222w, https:\/\/queme.org\/app\/uploads\/2019\/03\/Umberto-Gambini-Dalai-Lama-150x202.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 432px) 100vw, 432px\" \/><figcaption>The Dalai Lama &amp; Umberto Gambini<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Monday 4th March 2019, the European Union and Vietnam held their annual human rights dialogue in Brussels. This is the 8th time the EU and Vietnam have held these high-level dialogues, which take place alternatively in Brussels and Hanoi. On this occasion, Radio Free Asia spoke with Maya Kocijancic, EU spokesperson on Foreign Affairs &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":434,"featured_media":41118,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[137,113,98,60,64],"tags":[805,807,806,252],"class_list":["post-41103","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-latest-posts","category-news","category-press-release","category-press-review","category-vchr","tag-eu-vietnam-dialogue","tag-maya-kocijancic","tag-umberto-gambini","tag-un-human-rights-council"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41103","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/434"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41103"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41103\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41103"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41103"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/queme.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41103"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}