In an interview granted to thepress on the outcomes of the meetings, Deputy FM Vinh said thedelegation, led by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham BinhMinh, made practical recommendations on promoting cooperation focusesand priorities of ASEAN and the region, including the building of theASEAN Community, linkage and connectivity in different fields, andASEAN’s post-2015 development vision.
In the context ofcomplicated regional and global developments, ASEAN’s leading task is tomaintain an environment of peace, security and stability in the regionto serve its community building and development goal, he said.
Vietnam used the occasion of the meetings to underline the need forASEAN to enhance solidarity and promote its responsible and central rolein the evolving regional architecture and in strategic issues relatedto peace, security, stability and cooperation in the region, includingthe East Sea issue, as well as in building a regional architecture basedon existing cooperation processes that are in line with the region’sinterests and characteristics.
In addition, Vietnam hasclosely coordinated with other ASEAN countries in building and fosteringconsensus on emerging issues in the region, including the East Seaissue, Vinh stated.
He noted that countries inside andoutside ASEAN shared and concurred with Vietnam’s sound viewpoint on theEast Sea issue, which was included in several documents, especially theJoint Communiqué of the AMM-47.
At the meetings, theVietnamese delegation expressed deep concern about recent cases thatresulted in tensions in the East Sea, particularly China’s illegalplacement of its oil rig in Vietnam’s continental shelf and exclusiveeconomic zone, and stressed that ASEAN and countries should step uptheir joint efforts to not allow the repeat of such violations.
“We emphasised the full and effective implementation of the DOC,particularly Article 5 on exercising restraint and not complicating thesituation; compliance with international law and the 1982 UN Conventionon the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); no use of or threat to use force, whilestriving for the early conclusion of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea(COC),” he noted, adding that ASEAN Foreign Ministers agreed to tasktheir Senior Officials to work out specific measures and mechanisms toensure the serious implementation of Article 5.
Vietnamalso backed the further expanding and deepening of relations betweenASEAN and its partners, in order to create a favourable environment andmobilise resources for the community building process, while fosteringcooperation in mutually beneficiary areas such as connectivity,economy-trade and narrowing the development gap.
As thecoordinator for the ASEAN-EU dialogue partnership, Vietnam co-chairedthe ASEAN-EU Foreign Ministers’ Meeting during which it proposedmeasures to lift bilateral ties towards a strategic partnership.
Vietnam encouraged the EU to play a more active role in promotingpeace, security and trust building as well as to support ASEAN’s centralrole in the regional architecture. It also proposed the two sidescontinue efforts to effectively implement the 2013-2017 ASEAN-EU ActionPlan, increase consultations at ministerial-level on economiccooperation, and organise an ASEAN-EU Business Summit.
TheVietnamese delegation’s contributions to the meeting were appreciatedby the countries, he said, adding that on the sidelines of the events,the delegation had many bilateral meetings on measures to strengthencooperation and issues of common concern.
Regarding theoutcomes of the AMM-47 and related meetings, Deputy FM Vinh said thatthese were the most important meetings of ASEAN during the year, withthe participation of all 10 partner of the bloc.
Duringmore than 20 meetings held within the course of just over two days, thebloc and its partners outlined orientations for cooperation both insidethe bloc and between the bloc and partners. They also discussed regionaland international issues of mutual concern.
As one ofthe important results of the meetings, ASEAN continued affirming itsdetermination to fulfill the Roadmap for the ASEAN Community on scheduleand in an effective manner, while actively building a vision for theASEAN Community’s development after 2015.
ASEAN and itspartner countries confirmed the importance of maintaining an environmentof peace, security, stability and cooperation in the region, especiallyin the context of recent complicated developments.
Theydiscussed measures to further enhance cooperation frameworks andpartnerships through existing action plans, as well as preparations forother plans for the next stage.
On the East Sea issue,the ministers expressed their serious concern about recent tensions inthe East Sea, and stressed that such violations should not be allowed torepeat in the future.
Affirming the importance of peace,stability, security and safety of navigation in the Sea, the meetingsurged the parties concerned to abide by international law and the 1982UNCLOS; solve disputes by peaceful means, restrain themselves, not touse or threat to use force; and fully implement the DOC towards theearly formation of the COC.-VNA