ASEAN, RoK reaffirm commitment to further strengthen partnership

Officials from ASEAN and Republic of Korea at the event. (Photo: asean.org)

Jakarta (VNA) - Senior officials of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the Republic of Korea (RoK) reaffirmed the two sides' commitment to further strengthen strategic partnership and deepen cooperation at the 27th ASEAN-RoK Dialogue held on May 16.

The meeting noted the good progress made in ASEAN-RoK cooperation over the past year through the implementation of decisions made by leaders in the 23rd ASEAN-RoK Summit in 2022 and the effective execution of the ASEAN-RoK Plan of Action for 2021-2025 period, the ASEAN Secretariat said in a press release.

Both sides agreed to continue advancing cooperation to facilitate the post-pandemic recovery in the areas of trade and investment, digital economy, innovation, sustainable development, connectivity, disaster management, environment and climate change, food and energy security, public health, education, and people-to-people exchanges, among others.

ASEAN also welcomed the Korea-ASEAN Solidarity Initiative (KASI) which aims to build a robust substantive and strategic partnership between ASEAN and the RoK, and looked forward to its implementation for mutual benefit through the eight core lines of effort. The bloc appreciated RoK’s plan to increase its contribution to ASEAN-related cooperation funds to 48 million USD per annum by 2027 as part of the KASI.

For its part, the RoK affirmed its support for ASEAN centrality and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP). Both sides agreed to further advance cooperation in the four key areas under the AOIP.

The meeting further discussed issues of common concerns including the East Sea, Korean Peninsula, developments in Myanmar, and the situation in Ukraine.

The dialogue was co-chaired by acting head of the ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) delegation of Vietnam Vu Ho and acting SOM leader of the RoK Kim Dong-bae. Senior officials of ASEAN member states and the Deputy Secretary-General for ASEAN Political-Security Community attended the event./.