Vietnam supports efforts to reinforce trust building and cooperation for peace, stability, maritime security and safety in the East Sea , Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Vinh has affirmed.

Speaking at an ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting, the first in the series of activities during the 46th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM-46), held on June 28 in Brunei’s capital of Banda Seri Begawan, Deputy FM Vinh highly valued ASEAN’s efforts in building its community, expanding cooperation with its partners and promoting the group’s central role in cooperation for peace, stability, development, and effective response to emerging challenges.

In the context of unpredictable developments in the region and the world such as the East Sea and Korean Peninsula issues, the Vietnamese official stressed that as peace, stability, maritime security and safety in the East Sea are the common concern and interest of all countries, the whole region and all countries need to spare no effort to reach the goals.

ASEAN should further uphold its existing tools and mechanisms such as the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC), the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), and realise commitments in the ASEAN-China Action Plan for the 2011-2015 period on respecting and implementing the DOC in a full and effective manner.

At the meeting, the officials reviewed final preparations for the AMM 46 and relevant ministerial meetings between ASEAN and partners slated for June 28-July 2, focusing on the agenda and list of events to be adopted at these meetings.

Under the agenda, AMM-46 and relevant meetings will focus discussions on urgent issues for the ASEAN development, including the implementation of plans to accelerate the formation of the ASEAN Community by 2015.

ASEAN senior officials will submit to their ministers a plan to review the 5-year implementation of the ASEAN Charter as a foundation for the reshuffle of the grouping’s apparatus with three pillars, namely the Political-Security Community, the Economic Community and the Socio-Cultural Community.

The agenda will highlight the role of the ASEAN Secretariat, expand and deepen relations with partners and increase their involvement in the building of the regional architecture as well as measures to consolidate and maintain the central role of ASEAN in the region.-VNA