Ambassador Vu Dang Dung (L), head of Vietnam's permanent delegation to ASEAN, and President Herman Van Rompuy (centre)

President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy told Ambassador Vu Dang Dung, head of Vietnam’s permanent delegation to ASEAN, in Jakarta, Indonesia on Wednesday that Vietnam’s effective contribution has been reflected in the decision by ASEAN and EU Foreign Ministers to lift bilateral ties to a strategic partnership.

Rompuy said the EU will continue its support for the establishment of an ASEAN Community based on the three pillars of politics-security, economics, and culture-society, and for ASEAN’s central role in forums and shaping regional structures. He said the EU pays special attention to increasing ties with the the ASEAN.

He said the EU supports existing cooperation mechanisms promoting regional security and praised joint efforts to finalize a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).