PM Dung wants joint effort to build ASEAN Community
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has emphasized the need to join effort to build the ASEAN Community and ensure peace, stability, security, cooperation and development in the region.
PM Dung made the suggestion at the ASEAN+3 Summit between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Japan, the Republic of Korea (RoK) and China, and a series of ASEAN+1 Summits between the regional grouping with China, Japan, the RoK, India and the US, which took place in Phnom Penh on November 19.
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| Photo: VGP |
He presented practical measures to ensure the effective and timely implementation of cooperation programs and projects within ASEAN as well as between the association and its partners in economics, trade, investment, human resource development, information technology, science and technology, adaptation to emerging challenges and non-traditional security issues.
Dung suggested partners continue to support and assist the association to build the ASEAN community, especially intensify regional links and narrow the development gap, including Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) cooperation, ensure sustainable use of Mekong River water sources and expand comprehensive cooperation between Mekong countries and their related partners.
The PM said it is necessary to support the central role of ASEAN at regional frameworks and forums such as ASEAN+1, ASEAN+3, East Asia Summit (EAS), ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the ASEAN Defence Ministerial Meeting Plus (ADMM+).
He suggested ASEAN continue promoting its key role in the regional structure, boost cooperation with partners for the common goal of peace, stability, security and cooperative development in the region.
Regarding the East Sea issue, Dung emphasised support for concerned parties in fully implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), ASEAN’s Six-Point Principles on the East Sea and the early conclusion of a Code of Conduct (COC) in the East Sea in order to ensure peace, stability, maritime security and safety in the East Sea on the basis of international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which requires concerned parties to respect coastal states’ exclusive economic zones and continental shelves.
The Vietnamese PM spoke highly of ASEAN and its partners’ cooperation outcomes, including those between ASEAN and China during Vietnam’s term as ASEAN Coordinator from July 2009 to July 2012 in such fields as economics, trade, adaptation to natural disasters and climate change, education, cultural exchange and the implementation of DOC towards the building of COC.
He applauded the ASEAN-China adoption of a declaration on celebrating the 10th anniversary of DOC in order to affirm the value, importance and full implementation of the declaration. This, in turn, will contribute to peace, stability, maritime security and safety in the East Sea, and the peaceful settlement of disputes on the basis of abiding by international law, particularly the UNCLOS 1982, towards the building of COC.