At the event (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) - The 35th ASEAN-JapanForum was held online on October 14 under the chair of Deputy Minister ofForeign Affairs Nguyen Quoc Dung and Japanese Senior Deputy Minister for ForeignAffairs Takeo Mori.
Attended by senior ASEAN officials and a DeputySecretary-General of the bloc, the forum reviewed ASEAN-Japan cooperation,including in implementing the outcomes of the ASEAN-Japan Ministerial Meeting andpreparing for the 23rd ASEAN-Japan Summit. Participants also discussedinternational and regional issues of shared concern.
Mori said the new administration in Japan, ledby Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, will maintain a policy of upholding peace,stability, dialogue, and cooperation in the region.
To realise this policy, Japan will strengthencooperation with Southeast Asia and attach importance to ASEAN’s centrality, henoted, affirming that his country supports the ASEAN Outlook on theIndo-Pacific and wishes to join the bloc in its implementation.
Regarding the COVID-19 response, Japan highly valuesASEAN’s efforts to cope with the pandemic and pledges continued assistance forthe bloc to fight the disease, minimise the socio-economic impact, and promotesustainable recovery.
He said Japan will assist ASEAN in setting up aregional centre for public health emergencies and emerging diseases, therebyhelping to improve the region’s healthcare capacity and responsiveness toemerging epidemics.
Talking about international and regional issues,Mori emphasised the importance of peace and stability in the region whilevoicing concern over the East Sea situation.
He called for dialogue, an increase in trustbuilding, restraint from activities that may escalate tensions or complicatethe situation, non-militarisation, no use or threat to use force, and the settlementof disputes by peaceful means on the basis of international law, including the1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Japan also hopes that relevant parties willfully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties inthe East Sea and soon finalise an efficient and effective Code of Conduct thatis in line with international law and the 1982 UNCLOS, he said.
The Japanese side also repeated its expectation fora peaceful Korean Peninsula free of nuclear weapons, and that nucleardisarmament processes on the peninsula will be carried out in a complete,verifiable, and irreversible manner.
For their part, ASEAN officials spoke highly ofJapan’s role in regional cooperation for common peace, stability, andprosperity.
They also expressed their delight at theimplementation of the outcomes of the Vision Statement on ASEAN-Japan Friendship andCooperation 2018-2022.
They applauded Japan’s support for the groupingin COVID-19 response and the country’s commitment to donating 1 million USD tothe COVID-19 response fund and providing 50 million USD for ASEAN to set up acentre for public health emergencies and emerging diseases.
ASEAN countries also reiterated the bloc’sviewpoints and stances on some global and regional issues, such as the KoreanPeninsula and the East Sea.
They underlined that in the current context,which is full of difficulties and complexities, enhancing cooperation to ensurepeace, stability, and security in the region is in the common interest of the regionas a whole.
Representing Vietnam as the coordinator ofASEAN-Japan dialogue relations, Dung spoke highly of the progress made inbilateral cooperation despite the difficulties and challenges caused byCOVID-19.
He asked that both sides maintain closecoordination to deal with the pandemic, quickly set up an ASEAN centre fordisease control, mitigate any negative effects, and promote overall recovery.
He shared the view of other countries on theimportance of ensuring regional peace, security, and stability in the currentcontext, repeating ASEAN’s principled stance on the East Sea, which was affirmedat the 36th ASEAN Summit in June and the 53rd ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meetingin September, aiming to turn the East Sea into an area of peace, security,and stability.
Dung also announced the organisation plan forthe 23rd ASEAN-Japan Summit and pledged to work closely with other countries tohold it successfully./.
