EAS member countries set up exchange mechanism

Jakarta (VNA) – A formal exchange mechanism at ambassadorial level of 18 member countries of the East Asia Summit (EAS) was set up at the first meeting of the 18 countries’ ambassadors to ASEAN in Jakarta, Indonesia, on April 8.

Ambassador Nguyen Hoanh Nam, Head of the Vietnamese Permanent Representative Delegation to ASEAN, represented Vietnam in the mechanism.

The establishment of the exchange mechanism of EAS members’ ambassadors to ASEAN forms part of the solution package defined at the 10th EAS to improve the efficiency of realising EAS’s cooperation initiatives.

The periodical exchange is meant to discuss the implementation of agreements among leaders as well as exchange information on development cooperation initiatives and security policies in the region.

The countries involved agreed to make every effort to ensure the mechanism operates efficiently.

Participants to the mechanism can be involved in the process of drawing up documents and joint statements to submit to leaders, and hold direct consultation on numerous issues of mutual concern.

The mechanism will be operated on the EAS’s principles with ASEAN playing the guiding role.

Established in 2005, the EAS serves as a high-level dialogue forum on strategic, political and economic issues to promote peace, stability and prosperity in East Asia.

It groups 10 ASEAN member states - Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam ; and 8 ASEAN partner countries – Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia, and the US.-VNA