Bangkok (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his Singaporean counterpart Lee Hsien Loong agreed that the two countries need to work out specific measures to develop bilateral ties in a more stable and sustainable manner in future.

At their meeting in Cha-am – Hua Hin , Thailand , on October 23 on the sidelines of the 15th ASEAN Summit, the two PMs were pleased with the effective operation of the Vietnam-Singapore Industrial Parks in Vietnam and underscored the need for both sides to work harder to continue maintaining and boosting cooperation in the field.

Highlighting the effectiveness of the implementation of the Framework Agreement on Vietnam-Singapore Linkage, they said they will assign the two countries’ relevant agencies to define new domains of cooperation in addition to the already identified six areas so they can make a decision on the matter during PM Lee’s upcoming visit to Vietnam in early 2010.

The Singaporean PM hailed Vietnam ’s decision to participate in the Trans-Pacific Economic Partnership Agreement (TPP) as an observer and pledged to willingly assist the country in negotiations for its joining of the treaty as a full partner.

PM Dung highly valued Singapore ’s educational cooperation with Vietnam and asked the country to broaden this cooperation and grant more scholarships to Vietnamese students.

Regarding defence cooperation, the two PMs said the freshly-signed memorandum of understanding on the issue was of significant importance to bilateral ties and its deployment needs to be stepped up to contribute to strengthening and tightening the two countries’ friendship and mutual trust.

In their talks, they shared the view that the building of the ASEAN Economic Community should be one of the top priorities of the group’s cooperation.

They said ASEAN needs to make greater efforts in facilitating road, railway and waterway links as well as linkages in telecommunications and information within the group and between the Southeast and the East of Asia.

The two PMs agreed that to maintain peace, stability and cooperation in the region, the East Sea issue needs to be solved through peaceful negotiations and in conformity with international laws and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea signed by ASEAN and Chinese leaders in 2002.

PM Lee pledged to cooperate with and assist Vietnam in undertaking its duties as ASEAN Chair in 2010, which he believed Vietnam would perform well.

The same day, PM Dung joined other ASEAN leaders in informal meetings and dialogues with representatives of ASEAN youth organisations, regional civil society organisations and the ASEAN Business Advisory Council.

The ASEAN leaders officially announced the establishment of the ASEAN Inter-Governmental Committee for Human Rights, saying the move marks a milestone in the process of building the ASEAN Community and fulfils commitments made by the group and its individual members to increase regional cooperation on human rights issues.

Meeting with ASEAN youth representatives, PM Dung suggested that youths in the region should focus their cooperation on helping realise the building of the ASEAN Community and highlighting their role in promoting educational development, environmental protection, economic integration and sustainable growth.

He urged ASEAN youths to step up cooperation with their peers in the region, including China, Japan and the Republic of Korea, to help further the group’s cooperation on a larger scale.

At the meeting with representatives from regional civil society organisations, PM Dung said that ASEAN is resolute and is making efforts to build a sustainable development community based on the unity and best interests of the people as stated in the ASEAN’s Charter.

He affirmed that Vietnam, in its capacity of the ASEAN Chair in 2010, will support constructive and practical activities by ASEAN civil society organisations.

At a working session with representatives from the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ABAC), PM Dung shared with other ASEAN leaders the view that ASEAN needs to seize opportunities to improve its linkages with other big economies to successfully develop the ASEAN Economic Community.

PM Dung expressed his belief that with the determination of ASEAN governments and a pro-active business circle, the ASEAN Economic Community would serve as a foundation for member economies to weather challenges and difficulties brought on by the global financial crisis to gain the most from economic integration and bring prosperity to their nations.

He said Vietnam will do its best to provide every condition and closely work with ABAC in organising the ASEAN Investment and Business High-level Meeting in Vietnam in 2010.

Later on that day, PM Dung and other ASEAN leaders attended an exhibition of water-colour paintings themed “portraits of a community”.-Enditem