The ASEAN+1 Foreign Ministers Meetings with 10 ASEAN partners took place in Phnom Penh on July 11.

Vietnamese FM Pham Binh Minh attended all meetings and co-chaired the ASEAN-China meeting as coordinator of the bilateral relations.

At the ASEAN-Australia Foreign Ministers Meeting, both sides underscored the necessity to effectively implement the second phase of the ASEAN-Australia Development Cooperation Programme (2008-2015) and the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement (AANZFTA).

The ministers reached consensus on further promoting bilateral cooperation on trade and investment, small- and medium-sized enterprises, disaster management, environment, climate change and the Mekong sub-region development.

They hailed the establishment of the ASEAN-Australia Joint Cooperation Committee in 2011, and proposed to uphold the important role of the committee in bolstering and assisting both sides’ cooperation.

At the ASEAN-Japan Foreign Ministers Meeting, the ministers pledged to continue effectively implementing the ASEAN-Japan Action Plan for the 2011-2015 period, and agreed to accelerate the negotiations of the ASEAN-Japan Agreement on Trade in Services and Investment.

They highlighted Japan’s assistance to ASEAN in building the latter’s community, implementing the connectivity as well as Japan’s commitments and initiative to beef up cooperation with ASEAN in coping with natural disasters, the Mekong region development cooperation and the East-West Economic Corridor.

At the ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers Meeting, the FMs were unanimous to effectively implement the action programme for the 2011-2015 period to implement the joint Declaration on the ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity.

China voiced its support for the implementation of the master plan on ASEAN connectivity.

The two sides affirmed their commitment to fully implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC). Both sides agreed to promote cooperation in coping with emerging challenges such as climate change, disasters, energy security, and maritime security and safety.

At the ASEAN-New Zealand Foreign Ministers Meeting, the ministers reviewed the implementation of the ASEAN-New Zealand action plan for the 2010-2015 period.

They agreed to accelerate the effective implementation of the ASEAN-Australia- New Zealand Free Trade Agreement, and foster education cooperation, exchange of students and people and disaster management.

At the ASEAN-Canada Foreign Ministers Meeting, the ministers applauded the implementation of initiatives and activities to mark 35 years of the ASEAN-Canada dialogue relation in 2012, and agreed to push up the implementation of the 2010-2015 ASEAN-Canada Plan of Action and foster cooperation in trade, investment, agriculture, energy and food security, disaster management, terrorism and trans-national criminal.

At the ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers Meeting, the ministers were unanimous on speeding up the implementation of the Plan of Action and the Declaration on ASEAN-India Partnership for the 2010-2015 period, fostering negotiations on the bilateral investment, services and trade agreement, strengthening ASEAN-India linkage and cooperation in agriculture, transportation, tourism, information technology and biology. The two sides appreciated the activities to mark the 20th anniversary of the ASEAN-India dialogue relation establishment.

At the ASEAN-Russia Foreign Ministers Meeting, the FMs agreed to continue implementing effectively the Comprehensive Programme of Action for 2005-2015, suggested to consider the possibility of establishing ASEAN-Russia Business Council as well as the bilateral Free Trade Area to strengthen trade and investment cooperation. The countries also agreed to keep cooperating in energy, scientific technology, terrorism prevention, trans-national criminal and disaster management.

At the ASEAN-the Republic of Korea (RoK) Foreign Ministers Meeting, the ministers were unanimous to boost the effective implementation of the 201-2015 Action Plan, implement the Joint Declaration on Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity, and applauded the establishment of the Permanent Delegation at ASEAN by the RoK. They agreed to strengthen cooperation in trade, investment, forestry, culture, education and disaster management as well as cooperation between the Mekong-RoK cooperation in the time to come.

At the ASEAN-US Foreign Ministers Meeting, the FMs said these countries should implement effectively the 2011-2015 ASEAN-US Action Plan, boost the realisation of this year’s works of the ASEAN-US Framework Agreement on Trade and Investment. The two sides highly valued the ASEAN-US Business Forum held by the US , and pledged to speed up cooperation in maritime security, education, climate change adaptation and cooperation between countries in the Mekong region and the US .

At the ASEAN– European Union (EU) Foreign Ministers Meeting, the participants hailed the EU’s signing of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in the Southeast Asia .

They also vowed to speed up the effective implementation of the list of actions for the 2011-2013 period within the framework of the Action Plan to implement the Declaration on the ASEAN– EU Enhanced Partnership and agreed to promptly build a list of actions to carry out the Action Plan for the 2013-2017 period, which was adopted at the ASEAN-EU Foreign Ministers Meeting in Brunei in April.

During the meetings, many ministers expressed their concern over the recent development in the East Sea that affected peace, stability and maritime security and safety in the region.

They stressed the need to settle the dispute by peaceful measures, in respect of international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Declaration of Conducts of Parties (DOC) in the East Sea, towards promptly building the Code of Conduct (COC) in the East Sea in the near future, so as to effectively ensure peace, stability and maritime security and safety in the region.-VNA