(VOVWORLD) - Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc will attend the 34th Summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Bangkok, Thailand this weekend. Under the theme “Advancing partnership for sustainability”, Southeast Asian leaders will discuss ways to ensure prosperity in each country and in the region. The Prime Minister‘s attendance at the event reflects Vietnam’s contributions to and responsibility for ASEAN’s prosperity and self-reliance.
The biannual ASEAN Summit, the first in Thailand’s ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2019, will focus on working towards a digital, green and seamlessly connected region, as well as ASEAN centrality in the regional architecture. High on the agenda of the summit will be measures to build a people-centred ASEAN community “that leaves no one behind and looks to the future”.
ASEAN’s central role strengthened
ASEAN and other regional organizations are facing tough challenges due to the US-China trade war, instability in the region, the emergence of non-traditional security challenges, climate change, and epidemics. Outside countries’ intervention into ASEAN and its members’ internal affairs has split ASEAN, posing a challenge to ASEAN’s realizing its 2025 Vision and develop the ASEAN Community. Former ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh said the bloc needs to strengthen its internal cooperation to resist negative external effects.
The upcoming ASEAN Summit is expected to adopt a declaration of the leaders’ vision for sustainability along with an operational plan to resolve the problems of maritime pollution, as well as the drafting of a framework of ideas regarding the Indo-Pacific concept.
ASEAN leaders have agreed to complete negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership this year.
Vietnam contributes to ASEAN’s strength
Vietnam has proved to be a proactive and responsible member of ASEAN. It has worked for ASEAN’s stability, strength, prosperity, and unity. Vietnam wants to play a more active role to enhance ASEAN’s self-reliance, creativity, adaptability, and responsibility in dealing with global issues. Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung said: “Vietnam always considers ASEAN a top priority of its foreign policy. In the last 25 years Vietnam has contributed to all ASEAN activities, introduced and implemented ASEAN’s initiatives, focused on raising awareness of ASEAN among state agencies, enterprises, and the public. When it held ASEAN Chair in 2010, Vietnam selected the theme “Toward the ASEAN Community: From vision to action”. Since then, Vietnam has continued to promote the idea and set a higher goal of putting people at the center.”
2020 marks Vietnam’s 25th year in ASEAN. In that year as ASEAN Chair and a Non-Permanent Member of the UN Security Council, Vietnam hopes to contribute to peace, stability, cooperation, and the development of the ASEAN Community.