Prime Minister leaves for ASEAN summits in Philippines

Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc left Hanoi on November 12 afternoon to attend the 31st ASEAN Summit and related meetings in the Philippines.

The trip from November 12-14 is made at the invitation of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.

The PM is accompanied by Minister-Chairman of the Prime Minister’s Office Mai Tien Dung, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung, Deputy Minister of Public Security Bui Van Nam, among Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Quoc Khanh, among other senior government officials.

The 31st ASEAN Summit (ASEAN-31) and related meetings are set to focus on orientations and measures for enhancing connectivity to realise the ASEAN Community Vision 2025.

This is the most important event of the year of ASEAN with the participation of leaders of the 10 ASEAN member nations and the bloc’s partners, which are major countries and important regional and international organisations.
 
At the ASEAN-31 and meetings between ASEAN and partners, participating leaders are scheduled to discuss orientations and measures for strengthening connectivity to realise the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, thereby sending a message about an ASEAN of peace, stability and self-reliance that is open to the world.

They will also look into ways to bolster ASEAN’s cooperation with partners while mulling over regional and international issues of mutual concern.

They are expected to sign one document, approve 25 documents and recognise 20 others. The host Philippines is set to issue nine declarations of the Chair of the meetings.

Amid complex developments in the region and the world, growing protectionism and emerging challenges, this time’s meetings will emphasise the intensification of ASEAN’s solidarity and central role. They also aim to help fuel economic growth, narrow development gap and improve the ASEAN Community’s capacity so as to have a self-reliant ASEAN benefiting people in the member countries and ensuring peace, security and stability in the region.

Besides, the grouping’s relations with its dialogue partners have been reinforced. ASEAN currently has dialogue relations with 11 partners, including seven strategic partners. Eighty-eight partners have also sent ambassadors to ASEAN.

While a number of countries and organisations want to establish relations with ASEAN, many non-ASEAN nations have expressed their interest in joining the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.

These partners have also tightened multifaceted cooperation with ASEAN, assisted it to build a Community and supported the bloc’s central role.

ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.-VNA