Vietnam active at ASEAN Joint Consultative Meeting
Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung, head of SOM ASEAN Vietnam, led a delegation to attend the ASEAN Joint Consultative Meeting on September 22.
The event aimed at reviewing preparations for the 38th and 39th ASEAN Summits and Related Summits slated for October 26-28, and discussing cooperation in building the ASEAN Community, particularly the bloc’s priorities in 2021 and external relations.
Participants agreed with the agendas of these summits proposed by Brunei, Chair of ASEAN this year. Accordingly, 11 summits will be held, consisting of the 38th and 39th ASEAN Summits and nine summits between the bloc and its partners – the Republic of Korea, China, the US, Japan, Australia, India, Russia, ASEAN Plus Three, and East Asia.
Member nations welcomed ASEAN’s admission of the UK as a dialogue partner and the recognisation of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as a sectoral dialogue partner (SDP) at the 54th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting last August.
They agreed to continue to actively consider Brazil's proposal to become an SDP.
Speaking at the meeting, Dung reiterated Vietnam’s support for Brunei as ASEAN Chair in promoting initiatives and priorities.
In his position as Chair of the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI), the Vietnamese official informed participants about the outcomes of the IAI’s 65th meeting held on September 8.
He also highlighted the importance of narrowing the development gap in sub-regions when the region is facing the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Participating member nations said they back Vietnam’s plan to host the ASEAN high-level forum on sub-regional cooperation towards sustainable development and inclusive growth on November 30.
