A Vietnamese delegation led by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung actively participated in the 24th ASEAN Summit, which successfully took place in Myanmar on May 10-11.
Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh gave a review of the summit’s outcomes to reporters.
According to Minh, who is also a Deputy Prime Minister, PM Dung gave a speech on the implementation of the ASEAN Community roadmap, which sets out the path for the future of the ASEAN Community and its standpoint in international relations.
The PM delivered a clear message on Vietnam’s viewpoint on the current serious developments in the East Sea , reaffirming the country’s resolve to find constructive solutions to this issue.
In his speech, PM Dung said that Vietnam actively promotes solidarity within ASEAN and play a key role in addressing issues related to the region’s interests. He added that Vietnam joins other ASEAN countries in upholding consensus and a common responsible voice on the East Sea issue.
The Vietnamese delegation made active and important contributions to the summit’s work on the priorities of ASEAN and the region, thus shaping the future of the community, which focuses on strengthening ASEAN solidarity and its role in ensuring peace, security, stability and development cooperation in the region and the world at large.
The Deputy PM said the East Sea issue was the focus of the 24th ASEAN Summit, the first held by Myanmar as chair of ASEAN.
ASEAN leaders expressed their deep concerns over China ’s setting up of a drilling rig within Vietnam ’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, a development which also saw the deployment of a large number of escort ships.
Delegates at the summit deemed these actions as serious, violating international law, the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) to which China is a signatory, and seriously affecting maritime security and safety in the East Sea as well as regional peace and stability.
Minh stated that the leaders agreed that ASEAN should urgently present a common front on the current East Sea situation and asked the parties concerned to exercise restraint, abstain from the use of force, and solve their disputes peacefully and in accordance with international law and UNCLOS.
The concerned parties need to fully implement the DOC and work towards a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in order to ensure peace and stability in the region and prevent tensions from escalating.
Those concerns are reflected in the Nay Pyi Taw Statement on the building of the ASEAN Community by 2015 and the Statement of the Chair of the 24th ASEAN Summit, according to the Deputy PM.
He said that the ASEAN countries also agreed to issue a statement of the community’s foreign ministers on the East Sea issue, showcasing the group’s solidarity, consensus, and proactive and responsible role for bringing peace, stability and security to the East Sea in particular and the region in general. Minh added that they strongly declared to abide by principles of international law and ASEAN.
For the first time since 1995, ASEAN issued its own statement on an issue threatening peace, maritime security and safety in the East Sea , he noted.
In addition, ASEAN leaders discussed measures for accelerating the building of the ASEAN Community, orienting the community’s development beyond 2015 and expanding ASEAN’s external relations, as well as upholding its central role in the evolving regional arena.-VNA
Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh gave a review of the summit’s outcomes to reporters.
According to Minh, who is also a Deputy Prime Minister, PM Dung gave a speech on the implementation of the ASEAN Community roadmap, which sets out the path for the future of the ASEAN Community and its standpoint in international relations.
The PM delivered a clear message on Vietnam’s viewpoint on the current serious developments in the East Sea , reaffirming the country’s resolve to find constructive solutions to this issue.
In his speech, PM Dung said that Vietnam actively promotes solidarity within ASEAN and play a key role in addressing issues related to the region’s interests. He added that Vietnam joins other ASEAN countries in upholding consensus and a common responsible voice on the East Sea issue.
The Vietnamese delegation made active and important contributions to the summit’s work on the priorities of ASEAN and the region, thus shaping the future of the community, which focuses on strengthening ASEAN solidarity and its role in ensuring peace, security, stability and development cooperation in the region and the world at large.
The Deputy PM said the East Sea issue was the focus of the 24th ASEAN Summit, the first held by Myanmar as chair of ASEAN.
ASEAN leaders expressed their deep concerns over China ’s setting up of a drilling rig within Vietnam ’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, a development which also saw the deployment of a large number of escort ships.
Delegates at the summit deemed these actions as serious, violating international law, the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) to which China is a signatory, and seriously affecting maritime security and safety in the East Sea as well as regional peace and stability.
Minh stated that the leaders agreed that ASEAN should urgently present a common front on the current East Sea situation and asked the parties concerned to exercise restraint, abstain from the use of force, and solve their disputes peacefully and in accordance with international law and UNCLOS.
The concerned parties need to fully implement the DOC and work towards a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in order to ensure peace and stability in the region and prevent tensions from escalating.
Those concerns are reflected in the Nay Pyi Taw Statement on the building of the ASEAN Community by 2015 and the Statement of the Chair of the 24th ASEAN Summit, according to the Deputy PM.
He said that the ASEAN countries also agreed to issue a statement of the community’s foreign ministers on the East Sea issue, showcasing the group’s solidarity, consensus, and proactive and responsible role for bringing peace, stability and security to the East Sea in particular and the region in general. Minh added that they strongly declared to abide by principles of international law and ASEAN.
For the first time since 1995, ASEAN issued its own statement on an issue threatening peace, maritime security and safety in the East Sea , he noted.
In addition, ASEAN leaders discussed measures for accelerating the building of the ASEAN Community, orienting the community’s development beyond 2015 and expanding ASEAN’s external relations, as well as upholding its central role in the evolving regional arena.-VNA
