US Secretary of State John Kerry has paid a courtesy call on Secretary-General of ASEAN Le Luong Minh to underline the importance of US engagement with ASEAN.
According to the website of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Kerry on February 16 visited the ASEAN headquarters in Jakarta where he engaged Minh and other senior ASEAN Secretariat officials in discussions on bilateral relations and other regional issues of mutual interest and concern.
Minh expressed his appreciation to the US for its continued support for ASEAN Community building efforts as well as the grouping’s centrality and unity. Citing the US as one of the most important major partners of ASEAN, the Secretary-General stressed that the support and assistance by the US have effectively complemented ASEAN’s efforts to achieve the target of establishing its community by 2015.
Placing ASEAN at the core of US rebalancing strategy in the region, Kerry reiterated the US’s current policy toward Southeast Asia and its commitment to enhance cooperation with ASEAN in the fields of trade and investment, education, narrowing the development gaps, climate change and disaster management, connectivity, and support for Myanmar’s chairmanship of ASEAN.
Kerry also informed Minh that President Obama is looking forward to attending the Second ASEAN-US Summit later this year in Myanmar.
The two officials exchanged views on issues of regional and international concern, i ncluding the issue of the East Sea in the context of complicated developments taking place, while emphasising the need for respect for international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). They reaffirmed the importance of ASEAN’s Six-Point Principles on the East Sea, the urgency of early conclusion of a Code of Conduct (COC) and the importance of exercising self-restraint.
The US Secretary of State was in Jakarta as part of his Asian tour to meet senior government officials and address a range of bilateral, regional, and global issues relevant to US enhanced engagement in the Asia-Pacific region. Last year, he attended the First ASEAN-US Summit in Brunei representing President Barack Obama.
The United States has been a Dialogue Partner of ASEAN since 1977. Both sides have maintained active cooperation in areas such as trade and investment, regional security, disaster management, education, and governance.-VNA
According to the website of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Kerry on February 16 visited the ASEAN headquarters in Jakarta where he engaged Minh and other senior ASEAN Secretariat officials in discussions on bilateral relations and other regional issues of mutual interest and concern.
Minh expressed his appreciation to the US for its continued support for ASEAN Community building efforts as well as the grouping’s centrality and unity. Citing the US as one of the most important major partners of ASEAN, the Secretary-General stressed that the support and assistance by the US have effectively complemented ASEAN’s efforts to achieve the target of establishing its community by 2015.
Placing ASEAN at the core of US rebalancing strategy in the region, Kerry reiterated the US’s current policy toward Southeast Asia and its commitment to enhance cooperation with ASEAN in the fields of trade and investment, education, narrowing the development gaps, climate change and disaster management, connectivity, and support for Myanmar’s chairmanship of ASEAN.
Kerry also informed Minh that President Obama is looking forward to attending the Second ASEAN-US Summit later this year in Myanmar.
The two officials exchanged views on issues of regional and international concern, i ncluding the issue of the East Sea in the context of complicated developments taking place, while emphasising the need for respect for international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). They reaffirmed the importance of ASEAN’s Six-Point Principles on the East Sea, the urgency of early conclusion of a Code of Conduct (COC) and the importance of exercising self-restraint.
The US Secretary of State was in Jakarta as part of his Asian tour to meet senior government officials and address a range of bilateral, regional, and global issues relevant to US enhanced engagement in the Asia-Pacific region. Last year, he attended the First ASEAN-US Summit in Brunei representing President Barack Obama.
The United States has been a Dialogue Partner of ASEAN since 1977. Both sides have maintained active cooperation in areas such as trade and investment, regional security, disaster management, education, and governance.-VNA
