Vietnam makes substantial contributions to AMM 50's success

Vietnam has made substantial contributions to the success of the 50th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM 50) and related meetings, held in the Philippines from August 4-8, according to Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung.

Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung (Photo:CPV)

Talking to the press following the event, the Deputy FM said that Vietnam has worked closely with the Philippines as the ASEAN Chair, as well as the other countries, to put forward initiatives for of the execution of action plans, draft documents, to strengthen ASEAN agencies and promote consensus, thus ensuring the success of the meetings and the bloc’s prestige.

As coordinator of the ASEAN-India relations, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, alongside India’s Minister of State for External Affairs V.K Singh, co-chaired the ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, which produced number of important outcomes, including the approval of the theme for the ASEAN-India Commemorative Summit as “Shared Values, Common Destiny”. The two sides also agreed to accelerate the signing of an MoU on the establishment of the ASEAN-India Centre; work together to draft the Delhi Declaration to mark the 25th anniversary of ASEAN-India ties; and pinpoint priority fields for bilateral cooperation in the near future, such as connectivity, marine cooperation, combatting terrorism and bio-diversity.

Regarding the East Sea issue, Vietnam has upheld the spirit of solidarity and a common voice of the ASEAN community to prevent different viewpoints from affecting the atmosphere of cooperation and outcomes of the meetings, while firmly protecting the country’s interests.

Deputy FM Nguyen Quoc Dung noted that together with many other countries, Vietnam raised concerns regarding the situation in the East Sea, including the activities of reclamation, construction and militarization, while calling for maintaining principles and the stance regarding the East Sea, already specified in ASEAN documents, as well as agreed upon by ASEAN and its partners, especially the peaceful settlement of disputes, without the use or threat to use force, while respecting international law, the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea and diplomatic and legal process. Vietnam alongside other countries also appealed to the partner countries and the international community to continue to support the efforts of ASEAN and China to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties on the East Sea and push for early and result-oriented negotiations for an effective and legally-binding Code of Conduct of Parties on the East Sea.

The diplomat also highlighted that on the frniges of the AMM 50, Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh held a series of bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Australia, Laos, Canada, the US, New Zealand, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea, and the High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.

During the meetings, FM Pham Binh Minh emphasized Vietnam’s policy of deepening ties with the countries and partners on an equal and mutually beneficial footing, with a focus on the people’s interest and for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world as a whole, according to Deputy FM Nguyen Quoc Dung.

Vietnam and the other countries also agreed to maintain contact, enhance the efficiency of cooperative mechanisms, and coordinate to make preparations for upcoming visits by their high-ranking officials.

“Overall, Vietnam’s contributions to the AMM 50 demonstrate the country’s proactivity, high sense of responsibility and maturity in regional integration, thus enhancing our role and prestige in the ASEAN and in ties with it’s partners,” Deputy FM Nguyen Quoc Dung said.

The diplomat also briefed the press on the outstanding outcomes of the AMM 50 and related meetings, which were of great significance, as they took place on the occasion of ASEAN celebrating its golden jubilee (August 8, 1967-August 8, 2017).

(Source: NDO)