The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) attaches great importance to its cooperation with the United Nations (UN) to promote peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.

Ambassador Le Hoai Trung, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN made the statement at the Open Debate of the UN Security Council on August 6 in New York, which discussed cooperation between the UN and regional and subregional organisations in maintaining international peace and security.

Trung said in the face of enormous changes and emerging paradigms in international peace and security, it is critical to strengthen a regional-global cooperation and coordination.

During his speech, Trung underlined the active role played by regional organisations over the world in the maintenance of peace and security together with the promotion of socio-economic development.

The Ambassador said that ASEAN-UN cooperation has been institutionalised with the adoption of a Comprehensive Partnership. Under this framework, periodic ASEAN-UN interactions at the highest levels have been established, including ASEAN-UN Summits and annual meetings between ASEAN Foreign Ministers and the President of the General Assembly (GA) and the UN Secretary General.

Additionally, ASEAN member states have actively and constructively contributed to the work of the UN in the field of peace and security, Trung said.

He added that they have been authoring or taking part in negotiations of important GA resolutions on peace and security; becoming members and chairing groups within the framework of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) and the Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations and contributing peacekeepers in the UN Peacekeeping missions.

On the basis of fine developing relations between the two sides, the ASEAN and UN Secretariats had regular bilateral exchanges on peace- and security-related issues such counter-terrorism and conflict prevention through organising workshops and training courses.

Ambassador Trung affirmed that the growing ASEAN-UN cooperation has been beneficial to international and regional peace and security, and the building of the ASEAN Political-Security Community.

It also helped the two sides utilised their expertise and niche capacity, thus contributing to regional capacity building, he said.

According to the Ambassador, ASEAN’s successes in the region proved that in order to promote peace and security, it needs to enhance dialogue and mutual respect and conform to international laws, including solving all disputes in a peaceful manner.

Trung reiterated the strong commitment of ASEAN to further broadening and deepening cooperation with the UN, especially in maintaining international and regional peace and security.

To that end, ASEAN stands ready to work closely with the UN and other member states to rid the world of the scourges of war and conflict, he concluded.-VNA