The ASEAN Foreign Ministers pose for a photo at the retreat in Boracay (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – The ASEAN Foreign Ministers agreedto turn the grouping into a shining example of a regional organisation at theirrecently concluded retreat in Boracay, the Philippines.
Speaking to Vietnam News Agency about themeeting, Vietnam’s Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung said the agreementwas among the highlights of the first ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting chairedby the Philippines this year.
The event set up orientations for the bloc’sactivities throughout 2017, the second year of the ASEAN Community and the 50thfounding anniversary of the association.
The ministers approved this year’s theme“Partnering for Change, Engaging the World” and reached agreed on priorities forthe ASEAN Community in 2017. They also agreed on efforts to build apeople-oriented Community and to promote peace, stability, security, andmaritime cooperation in the region.
Dung said the 10 member countries underscoredthe importance of maintaining the fundamental values and principles of ASEAN,particularly its solidarity, consensus, and central role.
At the meeting, participants agreed to step upthe implementation of specialsed working plans in the three pillars ofpolitics-security, economy, and culture-society so as to bring about practicaloutcomes for people in the region.
They also discussed updating the ASEAN Charter,stressing that a revised Charter must meet demands for stronger connectivityand cooperation of the Community, according to the Deputy Minister.
The retreat stressed the significance of thebloc’s 50th founding anniversary, noting that this will be an opportunity forASEAN to review its development and consolidate confidence and momentum. Itwill also be a chance for the association to popularise its values, helping theASEAN Community get closer to its people.
Dung said the foreign ministers were unanimousin pushing ahead with dialogue and cooperation with partners through mechanismsestablished or led by ASEAN, thereby winning more support from partners for theCommunity.
With regard to global and regional politics, theofficials exchanged views on issues of shared concern. They underlined theimportance of peace, security and stability in the region, along withcooperation in coping with challenges such as natural disasters, humantrafficking, drug crimes and piracy.
East Sea-related issues were among the mosttalked-about topics, Dung said, adding that the ministers shared the view thatpeace and stability in the East Sea are in the common interest of the region,and ASEAN nations need to maintain their common stance and shared principles,including exercising self-restraint, not using or threatening to use force, peacefullyresolving disputes with respect for diplomatic and legal processes, complyingwith international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea,promoting the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conductof Parties in the East Sea, and striving to finalise a framework for a Code ofConduct in the waters in mid-2017.
At the retreat, Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Ministerand Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh emphasised that ASEAN needs to persist withthe common principles, solidify its unity, and bring into play its centralrole.
Dung cited Minh as saying that in the secondyear of the ASEAN Community, regional countries should enhance connectivity andprioritise fields that have obvious impacts for people such as narrowing thedevelopment gap, boosting social welfare and infrastructure connectivity,developing small and medium enterprises, and increasing businesses’ involvementin the building of the Community.
Minh also agreed on the need for the effectiveimplementation of existing action plans between ASEAN and partners, asking theassociation to be more active at ASEAN-initiated mechanisms such as ASEAN 1,ASEAN 3, ASEAN Regional Forum, and East Asia Summit.
As non-traditional security challenges,including piracy, are growing in the region, he asked ASEAN members to worktogether more closely to deal with those challenges. He urged more informationsharing and a stronger fight against piracy to ensure security for vessels inthe region. -VNA
VNA
