ASEAN leaders show high resolve to build ASEAN community

•  PM Dung attends ASEAN Summit in Cambodia

The 20^th ASEAN Summit Retreat and a closing ceremony took place in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on April 4.

ASEAN leaders highlighted the need to bring into full play the central role of ASEAN in the region, as it is witnessing rapid changes which have direct impact on the association. Consequently, ASEAN should promote dialogues, confidence building and standards for codes of conduct in the region and enhance the role of tools and mechanisms for political security cooperation such as the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), the Southeast Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty (SEANWFZ), the Declaration of the Conduct of Parties (DOC) in the East Sea, the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), and the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+).

In addition, ASEAN should further boost cooperation in coping with emerging challenges in the region and non-traditional security issues to improve the environment for peace, security and cooperation in the region, they said.

ASEAN leaders agreed to continue strengthening the bloc’s external relations through the frameworks of regional forums such as ASEAN+1, ASEAN+3, the East Asia Summit (EAS), the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), and (ADMM+).

They said it is essential to encourage partners to participate and contribute to ASEAN’s common goals, while helping the association build its community and maintain its central role in the regional cooperation architecture in line with member countries’ interests and regional characteristics.

ASEAN should be more active in working with its partners on upgrading dialogue relations, building a plan to celebrate the 20^th anniversary of dialogue relations with India, the 35^th anniversary with the US, the EU and Canada, and the 15^th anniversary of relations with ASEAN+3 this year.

At the summit, the Myanmar President made a preliminary announcement on the results of the parliamentary election on April 1. The regional leaders spoke highly of the election results and hoped that Myanmar will continue to implement the seven-point roadmap for national reconciliation, stability and development. They said they will continue to support Myanmar and call for the lifting of embargoes against the country.

Regarding the situation on the Korean peninsula, the leaders expressed great concern about the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)’s satellite launch plan and called for concerned parties to display restraint, resolve differences through dialogues,  resume the six-party talks and strictly comply with related resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, including Resolution 1874.

In regard to the East Sea issue, they stressed the importance of ensuring peace, stability, maritime security and safety in the East Sea, respecting the principles of international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and fully implementing the Declaration on Conduct of the Parties in the East Sea (DOC). ASEAN needs to agree upon the components in the Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) which serves as a foundation for exchanges between ASEAN and China.

At the retreat, PM Nguyen Tan Dung delivered a speech on the major contents of the summit, including proposals on regional issues of common concern such as the East Sea, Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) cooperation, ASEAN’s role in combating natural disasters, climate change and ensuring maritime security. PM Dung also asked ASEAN to build a declaration on water resource security in the region and promote ASEAN’s external relations, as well as the bloc’s global dialogue relations.

After two days of intensive work, the 20^th ASEAN Summit achieved important results, affirming ASEAN countries’ determination to build an ASEAN community by 2015, promote regional connectivity and external relations, boost equal and sustainable development and maintain ASEAN’s central role in shaping the regional architecture with its contributions toward the common goals of peace, stability, security, cooperation and development in the region.

At the closing ceremony, ASEAN leaders adopted a series of joint declarations and related reports and documents to devise orientations for increasing future ASEAN cooperation.

Cambodia, the ASEAN Chair in 2012, also issued an ASEAN Chair’s Declaration on the summit’s important results.

On the afternoon of the same day, PM Dung and his wife and delegation left Phnom Penh for their home country, concluding their attendance of the 20^th ASEAN Summit.

Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh

On the occasion, in an interview granted to a VOV reporter accompanying the Vietnamese delegation to the summit, Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh highlighted the outstanding results of the summit as well as Vietnam’s active participation.

Vietnam positively contributed to reaching a consensus between ASEAN nations on building an ASEAN community by 2015 based on three pillars: political-security, economics and culture-society.

The country underlined the need to focus on a master plan on ASEAN connectivity by carrying out key projects to develop infrastructure facilities in combination with programmes to narrow development gaps, and promote GMS cooperation towards building ASEAN into a common market with sustainable and equal development based on effective cooperation in agricultural production and food security.

Along with other ASEAN nations, Vietnam emphasized that ASEAN should effectively utilize the tools and mechanisms for political security cooperation such as TAC, SEANWFZ, DOC, ARF and ADMM+ to promote peace, security, cooperation and development in the region. The country voiced its support for coordinating ASEAN stances at international forums and institutionalizing ASEAN’s participation in the G-20 to deepen relations between the association and big countries, and enhance ASEAN’s crucial role in shaping the regional cooperation architecture.

Concerning the East Sea, Vietnam stressed that ASEAN should unite and be active in promoting peace, stability and maritime security and safety in the East Sea and settle disputes through peaceful means in line with international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Declaration on Conduct of the Parties in the East Sea (DOC) towards the building of the Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) which will serve as a foundation for consultation between ASEAN and China. On the other hand, ASEAN should continue to boost cooperation on sea-related issues, such as ensuring security and safety for sea routes, rescue work at sea and anti piracy activities.

The country also underlined the necessity of exploiting and using Mekong River water resources reasonably and sustainably for the benefit of fishermen and sustainable development of GMS countries. It also requested GMS nations to conduct research into related impacts on the environment and water resources.

The Vietnamese delegation made important contributions to drafting summit documents so that these documents reflected ASEAN’s priorities on reinforcing solidarity, building an ASEAN community and ensuring peace, security, stability, cooperation and development in the region.