President Nguyen Minh Triet has proposed ASEAN and the US to further promote their cooperative relations in various fields from politics-security and economics-trade to socio-culture for mutual interest.

President Triet, who is ASEAN Chair in 2010, made the statement when he chaired the second ASEAN-US Leaders’ Summit together with his US counterpart Barack Obama in New York on Sept. 24.

The Vietnamese State leader informed the participants of the results of building the ASEAN Community and its external relations with the US .

He also said the US will assist ASEAN in raising its capability to cope with global challenges, especially in the Mekong sub-region, through the annual US-Lower Mekong Ministerial Meeting.

At the summit, ASEAN and US leaders reviewed the progress in the ASEAN-US dialogue relationship since the first conference took place in Singapore in November 2009 and put forward measures and orientations to promote the enhanced partnership.

The leaders highlighted the importance of both sides’ continued dialogues at senior level and agreed to organise the third ASEAN-US Leaders’ Summit in 2011 on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit (EAS) in Indonesia .

They also agreed to establish a group of ASEAN-US famous figures to study and recommend measures to enhance bilateral ties.

Both ASEAN and US leaders reached consensus on carrying out the action plan on the joint vision statement on the ASEAN-US Enhanced Partnership in the current period and the 2011-2015 period.

They emphasised the necessity to closely coordinate in achieving the common targets of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and promote cooperation in trade and investment, effective energy utilisation, food and agriculture security, people, cultural and educational exchange, science and technology, disaster management, coping with natural calamities, health care, environment, biodiversity preservation and fighting climate change, terrorism and trans-national crimes.

The US wants to enhance its comprehensive relations with ASEAN, confirmed President Obama, voicing his nation’s support for ASEAN’s central role in the region and regional cooperation forums, including the EAS.

The US leader committed to assisting ASEAN in building the community, implementing ASEAN connectivity, bridging the development gap and implementing MDGs.

He commended ASEAN on its role and contributions to multilateral forums, including the G20 process.

ASEAN leaders welcomed the US policy of accelerating the constructive cooperation with the region, the membership of the US and Russia at the East Asia Summit (EAS) as of 2011 and the attendance of the US Secretary of State and the Russian Foreign Minister at the fifth EAS in Hanoi in October 2010 as guests of the EAS President.

They spoke highly of the US willingness to consul ASEAN on the participation of the protocol on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon Free Zone Treaty and welcomed the US support for activities of the ASEAN Inter-governmental Commission on Human Rights and the ASEAN Commission on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Women and Children.

The summit issued a joint communique in which ASEAN and US leaders put forward measures to enhance the all-around ASEAN-US cooperation, bringing their ties to a new height./.