Le Thi Thu Hang, Foreign Ministry's spokesperson. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam always attaches importance and gives highpriority to contributing to common efforts to raise the role of the Asia-EuropeMeeting (ASEM) cooperation, said Vietnamese Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson LeThi Thu Hang.
The country also works to promote the Asia-Europe connectivity through theASEAN Community, and existing partnerships, cooperation mechanisms, bilateraland multilateral connections, Hang said at the ministry’s regular press conferencein Hanoi on March 1.
March 1 is ASEM Day, she said, adding as a founding member, Vietnam warmlywelcomes the important event.
With the implementation of its extensive international integration and proactivemultilateral foreign policies, Vietnam will continue to cooperate with membersto build a vision for a responsible ASEM with adaptation capacity in theevolving architecture.
Since joining the forum in 1996, Vietnam has been an active and responsiblemember with significant milestones in ASEM’s path of development, contributingto raising ASEM’s role and position.
The Southeast Asian country successfully organised the 5th ASEM Summit in 2004,and economic ministers’ meeting (2001), information-technology ministers’meeting (2006), foreign and education ministers’ meetings (2009) and labour ministers’meeting (2012).
Vietnam proposed 23 initiatives and joined to launch 27 others in the areas drawingattention from businesses and people, such as in culture, health care,transportation, energy security, food security, climate change,science-technology, tourism, economics, green growth, social welfare.
The country is among leading nations in promoting periodic cooperationmechanism on natural disaster response and ASEM dialogue on sustainabledevelopment on water resources, upgrading the Mekong Sub-region cooperation toregional level, boosting first local cooperation projects in ASEM between localitiesof Vietnam and Romania and Bulgaria.
In 2107, Vietnam successfully carried out the Prime Minister’s initiative atthe 11th ASEM Summit in Mongolia in July 2016 with hosting the ASEM conferenceon innovative education and human resources building for sustainabledevelopment in Hue city on March 29-321. The country chaired the 37th meetingof the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) Board of Governors.- VNA
VNA
