Uniting ASEAN, strengthening ties with partners
The 17th ASEAN Summit and related meetings gives ASEAN a chance to comprehensively review the outcomes of cooperation within the bloc and with its partners over the past few years and to layout the priorities for the next stage of its development.
This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Gia Khiem in a recent press briefing on this year’s ASEAN summits.
VOV: Could you please tell us about the significance of the coming 17th ASEAN Summit and other related meetings?
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The three days from October 28-30 will see 11 major meetings, including the 17th ASEAN Summit between ASEAN leaders and the regular ASEAN+1 Summit with its partners such as China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, and India, as well as with Russia, Australia, New Zealand and the United Nations; the ASEAN+3 Summit (with China, Japan and the Republic of Korea), and the fifth East Asia Summit.
The summit will be attended by 18 leaders of ASEAN member countries, the bloc’s partners, and the United Nations Secretary General. For the first time, the Russian Foreign Minister and the US Secretary of State will also attend the East Asia Summit as special guests.
These are the final ASEAN metings for the year, where the bloc can review cooperation within the bloc and with its partners over the past year and identify the next priorities. This is also the only occasion in 2010 for ASEAN leaders to meet with leaders of ASEAN’s most important partners.
At these summits, ASEAN and its partners will exchange views and discuss peace, stability and development in the region.
The meetings will discuss and decide many important policies for ASEAN’s cooperation and external relations as well as for the region’s structure. More than 30 documents, including many important declarations will be submitted for approval.
In addition, there will be many activities on the sidelines of the major events, such as the second Mekong-Japan meeting, the ASEAN Business and Investment meeting, and the Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT) meeting.
VOV: What will be the summits’ major discussions?
Deputy PM Khiem: The Summit will build on previous achievements and the spirit of ‘Toward an ASEAN community – from vision to action’. It will focus on discussing three pivotal actions that ASEAN set earlier this year:
Efforts to create an ASEAN community, strengthen regional connection, and effectively implement the ASEAN Charter will also continue. Accordingly, ASEAN leaders will review the outcomes of the 16th ASEAN Summit and identify things that need to be done to build an ASEAN Community.
ASEAN leaders are expected to ratify a master plan a framework for closer link, especially in infrastructure, which will link ASEAN with East Asia. ASEAN will continue with reforms and implementation of policies, considering this a decisive factor in successfully creating the community by 2015. Additionally, ASEAN will step up efforts to complete its internal legistration to supplement its Charter.
They will discuss various important issues to facilitate ASEAN+1 and regional cooperation initiated by ASEAN such as ASEAN+3, the East Asia Summit (EAS). These will help to consolidate and highlight the central role of ASEAN in regional cooperation and in the shaping of a new regional structure in the future.
The EAS countries will invite Russia and the US to attend the EAS from 2011. The Russian Foreign Minister and the US Secretary of State will attend the event to prepare for their meeting the next year. The EAS will also approve a declaration to consolidate for the future development of the EAS process on its fifth anniversary.
Finally, ASEAN and its partner will discuss and work out measures to raise the bloc’s capacity to cope with emerging challenges such as post-economic crisis recovery, sustainable development, climate change, natural disasters, epidemics, and environmental degradation.
ASEAN leaders are expected to adopt two important documents, namely a declaration on developing human resources, skills for economic recovery, sustainable development, a declaration on improving social welfare and developing women and children. ASEAN leaders and their partners will approve the ASEAN-China declaration on sustainable development, the ASEAN-Republic of Korea Strategic Partnership Action Programme, the ASEAN-India Cooperation Programme for the new stage, the joint declaration of ASEAN, New Zealand, and the United Nations.
VOV: What are ASEAN’s contributions in building the region’s cooperative structure?
Deputy PM Khiem: This issue has been recently discussed a lot, due to the demand for more cooperation and stronger links in East Asia as well as in the Asia-Pacific region.
The shaping of an effective structure suitable for the region poses both and opportunity and a challenge to ASEAN.
At the 16th ASEAN Summit, ASEAN invited Russia and the US to take part in a regional structure. This is a strategic decision by ASEAN, which will lift the EAS to a new level, with ASEAN harmonising mutual interests and demands in the region, creating a favourable climate for cooperation, peace and development.