Officials pose for a photo at the 7th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Manila in August 7, 2017 (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – The 31st ASEAN Summit (ASEAN-31)and related meetings, which will be held in Manila, the Philippines, fromNovember 12 to 14, are set to focus on orientations and measures for enhancingconnectivity to realise the ASEAN Community Vision 2025.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc will lead ahigh-ranking delegation of Vietnam to the ASEAN-31, the 20th ASEAN 3 Summit(with China, Japan and the Republic of Korea), the ASEAN 1 meetings (withChina, Japan, the Republic of Korea, India, the US, Canada, the European Union,and the United Nations), and the 12th East Asia Summit.
These are the most important events of the yearof ASEAN with the participation of leaders of the 10 ASEAN member nations andthe bloc’s partners, which are major countries and important regional andinternational organisations.
On this occasion, PM Phuc will also take part inthe 9th Mekong – Japan Summit and a meeting of leaders of countries joining theRegional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).
At the ASEAN-31 and meetings between ASEAN andpartners, participating leaders are scheduled to discuss orientations andmeasures for strengthening connectivity to realise the ASEAN Community Vision2025, thereby sending a message about an ASEAN of peace, stability andresilience that is open to the world.
They will also look into ways to bolster ASEAN’scooperation with partners while mulling over regional and international issuesof mutual concern.
They are expected to sign one document, approve25 documents and recognise 20 others. The host Philippines is set to issue ninedeclarations of the Chair of the meetings.
Amid complex developments in the region and theworld, growing protectionism and emerging challenges, this time’s meetings willemphasise the intensification of ASEAN’s solidarity and central role. They alsoaim to help fuel economic growth, narrow development gap and improve the ASEANCommunity’s capacity so as to have a self-reliant ASEAN benefiting people inthe member countries and ensuring peace, security and stability in the region.
The building of the ASEAN Community continues toreap many positive outcomes as seen in the progress of implementing commitmentsin the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and the accompanied blueprints, namely theASEAN Political-Security Community Blueprint, the ASEAN Economic CommunityBlueprint, and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community Blueprint.
Notably, ASEAN specified the inter-sectoral andinter-pillar issues in which cooperation needed to be fostered, including humantrafficking prevention and control, sea-related security and cooperation,counter-terrorism, cyber security, maintaining and building post-conflictpeace, human rights, drug control, environmental crime, fighting money laundryand trans-national crime, nuclear security and safety, and border management.
The recent ASEAN Community building progress hasgiven more priority to women; children; micro-, small- and medium-sizedenterprises; promoting cooperation programmes on economic development anddevelopment gap narrowing; increasing connectivity; and ensuring socialwelfares.
The ASEAN Community Vision 2025 is alsoassociated with the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, whichdemonstrates the bloc’s efforts to become an active member of the internationalcommunity.
Meanwhile, the grouping’s relations with itsdialogue partners have been reinforced. ASEAN currently has dialogue relationswith 11 partners, including seven strategic partners. Eighty-eight partnershave also sent ambassadors to ASEAN.
While a number of countries and organisationswant to establish relations with ASEAN, many non-ASEAN nations have expressedtheir interest in joining the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in SoutheastAsia.
These partners have also tightened multifacetedcooperation with ASEAN, assisted it to build a Community and supported thebloc’s central role.
The Vietnamese delegation’s participation in the ASEAN-31 and related meetings is meant to help enhance ASEAN’s solidarity,bring into play the association’s central role, strengthen ASEAN’s ties withpartners, and create a favourable environment for sustainable development ineach country and the whole region.
The delegation also hopes to promote Vietnam’simage as a country with active and responsible engagement in regionalcooperation.-VNA
VNA
