This was stated by Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Vinh at a meeting in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh, from March 3-6, to prepare the agenda and paperwork for the 20^th ASEAN Summit which is due to take place on April 3-4. 

Vinh highlighted the significance of the plans to ensure the ASEAN Community is developed on its three pillars which are politics-security, economy and social-culture. 

He stressed the need to develop the bloc’s infrastructure and strengthen relations with its partners to build a prosperous community. 

ASEAN needs to uphold its proactive role in an evolving regional architecture and work with others to deal with global challenges such the economic downturn, natural disasters, climate change, maritime security and epidemics, said Vinh. 

He pointed out the advantages of the current cooperative mechanisms in the region, including the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), the Southeast Asian Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (SEANWFZ), the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the ASEAN Defence Ministerial Meeting Plus (ADMM+). 

He congratulated Cambodia on becoming the ASEAN chair for 2012, pledging that Vietnam will help the country to fulfill its duties. 

The three day meeting brought together senior ASEAN officials in charge of economics, security and culture. 

Delegates reviewed the steps toward developing human resources as well as discussing macroeconomic and financial policies. Also high on the agenda was upgrading the infrastructure, enhancing regional communications and freeing up the movement of goods, services, investment, labour and capital throughout the region by 2015. 

Regarding security issues, a regional Code of Conduct (COC) in the East Sea was discussed and, the Vietnamese representative underlined the need to continue with efforts to ensure peace, stability, security and maritime safety and address any disputes through dialogue while respecting international laws.

Delegates proposed setting up an ASEAN Institute for Peace and Recommendation and drafting a treaty to ensure Southeast Asia remains a nuclear weapon free zone.

They also reviewed a paper on small and medium sized cultural enterprises, the arts, an ASEAN TV channel, migrant workers, drugs, climate change, and women and children issues.