Kuala Lumpur (VNA) – A Vietnamese delegation, led by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son, attended the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Retreat (AMM Retreat) in Langkawi, Malaysia, on January 19.
It was the first key event under Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship 2025, which was chaired by Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Bin Haji Hasan and attended by foreign ministers from ASEAN member states, the ASEAN Secretary-General, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of Timor-Leste as an observer.
Son praised the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)’s achievements in 2024 under the chairmanship of Laos, calling them a solid foundation for the region to further enhance cooperation in 2025. He also expressed strong support for the theme and priorities proposed by Malaysia, and reaffirmed Vietnam's commitment to close coordination in performing the outlined tasks and initiatives.
He underlined the importance of maintaining unity within ASEAN and reinforcing the bloc's central role. Highlighting the progress in ASEAN’s external relations, he stressed the need for the region to deepen its partnerships, while expanding mutually beneficial and practical cooperation with new partners
Vietnam, in its role as coordinator for ASEAN-New Zealand and ASEAN-UK relations from 2024 to 2027, will continue with active and proactive contributions to relations between the two sides in the coming years, he said.
On the global and regional issues, Son expected that the situation in Myanmar would stabilise soon, while also highlighting Vietnam’s readiness to cooperate with the 2025 ASEAN Chair and Special Envoy in following the Five-Point Consensus (5PC) and decisions on the Myanmar issue reached by ASEAN leaders.
He highlighted the importance of maintaining ASEAN’s unity and principled stance, reaffirming Vietnam’s commitment to implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and advancing substantive and effective negotiations on a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), in line with the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), aiming to build the East Sea into a sea of peace, cooperation and sustainable development.
On the occasion, Son met with Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Bin Haji, during which both sides vowed to continue stepping up the implementation of cooperation agreements already adopted by leaders, develop an action plan to realise the new phase of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, and soon hold the 8th meeting of the Vietnam-Malaysia Joint Committee at the ministerial level to fulfill the commitments.
With priorities on energy transition and digital transformation, Malaysia considers Vietnam a key partner, said Mohamad Bin Haji, reaffirming the country’s commitment to fostering close bilateral cooperation to achieve concrete and substantial results.
On the sidelines of the retreat, Son also met bilaterally with foreign ministers of Laos and Indonesia./.
