At the plenary session, Duong Minh, head of the Vietnamese delegation, delivered a speech celebrating 20 years of the forum for leftist parties in the Western hemisphere and introducing Vietnam’s socialist-oriented socio-economic policies and its achievements over 25 years of renovation (Doi Moi). In his speech, Mr Minh also confirmed the determination of Vietnam’s party and people to advance toward socialism.

On the sidelines of the forum, the Vietnamese delegates held bilateral meetings with leaders of the Communist Party of Argentina, the Communist Party of Brazil, and the Workers’ Revolutionary Party (Nicaragua) to exchange information about the parties, regions, their countries and discuss ways to strengthen bilateral ties.

During the three-day forum, about 600 delegates from 54 leftist  parties and political organizations in 33 countries discussed a wide range of issues, from legislations and government to ideological, security and environmental research, social movements, the democratization of mass media, decolonialization, and migration.

The forum concluded with a joint communiqué that supports Argentina’s sovereignty over Malvinas islands, condemns the US embargo against Cuba, and admits to the forum Honduras’ National Front of Popular Resistance, which opposes the June 2009 coup against President Manual Zelaya.

The 17^th forum will be held in Nicaragua’s capital of Managua next year.