The Vietnamese delegation, led by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, attending the 21st ASEAN Summit and related meetings continues to make proactive, active and responsible contributions to priority issues and common goals of ASEAN and the region.

Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh made the statement in an interview on the major outcomes of the 21st ASEAN Summit and related meetings in Phnom Penh, Cambodia from November 18-20.

They included the ASEAN+3 Summit, the East Asia Summit (EAS), the ASEAN+1 Summits with China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, India and the US.

Besides the events, the ASEAN Global Dialogue and a meeting with leaders of 7 EAS member countries joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership were also held.

According to Minh, amid favourable conditions for peace and development cooperation are a lot of challenges and complexities in the region. The summits focused discussions on the region’s top priorities and the most important issues, especially ways to ensure a regional environment of peace, stability and development, speeding up the building of ASEAN Community, strengthening relations with partners, and boosting regional links and connectivity as well as issues of regional and international concern.

The summits adopted a number of important cooperation documents of ASEAN, and between the bloc and its partners. ASEAN leaders signed the Phnom Penh Declaration approving the Human Rights Declaration (AHRD); approved the Plan of Action implementing the Bali Declaration on “ASEAN Community in a Global Community”; and officially announced the establishment of the ASEAN Institute of Peace and Reconciliation (AIPR).

ASEAN and its relevant partners officially started negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and issued the Joint Statement of the 15 th ASEAN-China Summit on the 10 th anniversary of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), the Joint Statement of the 4 th ASEAN-US Summit on boosting bilateral cooperation towards a strategic partnership, the Joint Statement on the 15 th anniversary of ASEAN+3 Cooperation, the Declaration on ASEAN+3 Partnership for Connectivity and the Phnom Penh Declaration on EAS Development Initiative.

On the occasion, ASEAN leaders appointed Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Le Luong Minh as ASEAN Secretary General for the 2013-17 tenure.

Minh said Vietnam attaches importance to and actively contributes to enhancing ASEAN’s role and cooperation, building a united and strong ASEAN and expanding cooperation with partners for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region.

The country supported ASEAN’s leading role in regional cooperation structures and promoting peace, security and development in the region and effectively settling emerging issues and challenges in the region.

ASEAN needs to continue proactively building and sharing standards of conduct, and effectively bring into full play the bloc’s basic documents, including the ASEAN Charter, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, the Southeast Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free-Zone Treaty, DOC and ASEAN’s Six-Point Principles on the East Sea , Minh said.

Vietnam agreed with ASEAN’s common views on the East Sea issue and highlighted the importance of peace, stability, maritime security and safety. It supported relevant parties in fully and effectively implementing DOC, the ASEAN’s Six-Point Principles on the East Sea, the soon-to-be Code of Conduct of Parties in the East Sea and settling disputes by peaceful means on the basis of international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) - including regulations on respecting exclusive economic zones and the continental shelf of coastal countries.

Vietnam actively contributed to the building of ASEAN Community and regional connectivity, promoting the sustainable and equal development in the region, in combination with protecting the environment and ensuring social welfare, encouraging partners as well as regional and international organisations to assist ASEAN in building the Community.

Vietnam supported ASEAN in further expanding and deepening relations with partners, creating a favourable environment and making the most of resources to build the ASEAN Community, giving orientations for regional common cooperation and urging partners to effectively implement cooperation programmes in economics, trade, science-technology, narrowing development gap, the sub-Mekong region and ensure the sustainable use of water resources.

On the other hand, ASEAN and partners need to further boost non-traditional security cooperation and deal with emerging challenges like natural disasters, climate change, water security, maritime safety and trans-national crimes for the common goal of peace, stability, security and development in the region.

On the sidelines of the events, Dung held bilateral meetings to discuss ways to enhance cooperation between the sides as well as issues of mutual concern.-VNA