PM Nguyen Tan Dung and other heads of delegations to ASEM9 - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

(VOVworld) - On Tuesday, Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, and the other ASEM state leaders held important talks, mainly focusing on global issues, enhancing cultural and social cooperation and the forum’s future. The meeting on global issues underlined the need for a non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and disarmament, nuclear security, anti-terrorism measures and piracy. Also discussed were the UN’s millennium development goals, sustainable development, energy security, food security, water resources management, climate change, and responses to natural disasters. The participants   said that the world has to deal with many serious problems, requiring ASEM to have an overall view and quick responses at national, regional, and global levels. Mr. Dung said the current pressing issue for both continents is to reach a consensus on awareness, and look at new ways of approach. Global issues need to be settled in combination with the Millennium Development Goals which involve environmental protection, poverty reduction, and gender equality. Prime Minister Dung says ‘As the forum represents almost 60% of the global population and contributes half of world’s GDP, it’s responsible for setting up global cooperative mechanisms and can resolve common challenges and issues. We shall continue to reform the UN and other international financial institutions to make them more equal, democratic, and efficient and improve the effectiveness of regional and inter-regional connectivity. This is in line with the current basic changes’.

Mr. Dung called on ASEM to enhance specific initiatives to deal with newly emerging issues, especially in climate change, the protection of water resources, and food security. PM Dung’s initiatives to hold an ASEM summit on preventing natural disasters and responding to climate change and managing water resources received a lot of support from ASEM members.

In regards of cultural and social cooperation within the organization, many leaders highlighted the increase in cooperation in education and when developing human resource, combined with training and job opportunities, especially for young workers. 

The delegates exchanged their opinions on maintaining peace, security, and stability and underlined that all disputes should be resolved through peaceful negotiations while adhering to international law.

The ASEM 9 concludes on Tuesday after the issuance of the Vientiane Declaration on strengthening partnership for peace and development and Chairmen’s statement highlighting new initiatives. On the sidelines of the summit, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung held separate talks with government leaders from Japan, Australia, Finland and EC President Jose Manual Barroso. They reiterated the relations with Vietnam and discussed measures to promote cooperation and friendship, especially the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties with Japan, Australia and Finland.