The Asean+3 Summit between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations,
Japan, the Republic of Korea (RoK) and China, plus a series of Asean+1 Summits
between the regional grouping with China, Japan, the RoK, India and the US,
took place in Phnom Penh yesterday.
The summits focused on measures
to strengthen relations between Asean and its partners, especially in assisting
the group in building the Asean community by 2015.
Speaking at the summits,
Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung emphasised the region's common
priorities to increase efforts to build the Asean Community and ensure peace,
stability, security, cooperation and development in the region.
He presented practical measures
to ensure the effective and timely implementation of cooperation programmes and
projects within Asean, as well as between the association and its partners in
economics, trade, investment, human resource development, information
technology, science and technology, adaptation to emerging challenges and
non-traditional security issues.
Dung suggested partners continue
to support and assist the association in building the Asean community,
especially intensifying regional links and connectivity as well as narrowing
the development gap, including Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) cooperation,
ensuring sustainable use of Mekong River water sources and expanding
comprehensive cooperation between Mekong countries and their related partners.
The PM stressed supporting the
central role of Asean at regional frameworks and forums such as Asean+1,
Asean+3, East Asia Summit (EAS), Asean Regional Forum (ARF) and the Asean
Defence Ministerial Meeting Plus (ADMM+).
He suggested Asean continues
promoting its key role in the regional structure, boost cooperation with
partners for the common goal of peace, stability, security and cooperative
development in the region.
Speaking of the East Sea issue,
Dung emphasised support for concerned parties in fully and effectively
implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), Asean's
Declaration on Six-Point Principles and the early conclusion of a Code of
Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in order to ensure peace, stability, maritime
security and safety in the East Sea on the basis of abiding by international
law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos),
including regulations on respecting coastal states' exclusive economic zones
and continental shelves.
The Vietnamese PM spoke highly of
Asean and its partners' cooperation outcomes, including those between Asean and
China during Vietnam's term as Asean Co-ordinator from July 2009 to July 2012
in such fields as economics, trade, adaptation to natural disasters and climate
change, education, cultural exchange and the implementation of DOC towards the
building of COC.
He applauded the Asean-China
adoption of a declaration on celebrating the 10th anniversary of DOC in order
to affirm the value, importance and full implementation of DOC. This in turn
will contribute to peace, stability, maritime security and safety in the East
Sea, as well as the peaceful settlement of disputes on the basis of abiding by
international law, particularly the Unclos 1982, towards the building of COC.
At the summits, Asean and partner
leaders highly valued recent progress and discussed measures to further
strengthen cooperation between all sides to meet their common interests.
Asean and its partners agreed to
focus their resources to implement programmes of action that will boost
cooperation in all fields, ranging from economics, trade and investment to
non-traditional security issues and adaptation to challenges such as climate
change, disaster management, trans-national crimes and maritime security and
safety, including piracy.
Asean and its partners
appreciated the decision to officially start negotiations for the Regional
Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement.
Asean countries reaffirmed their
open foreign policy and continued to encourage partners to make contributions
to regional cooperation as well as assisting the association in building the
Asean Community.
The partners pledged to continue
support for Asean in building the community by 2015, stepping up regional links
and connectivity and narrowing the development gap, as well as support for its
central role in regional cooperation processes and frameworks.
Exchanging views on regional
issues of mutual concern, Asean leaders and partners agreed to further
intensify joint efforts for peace, stability, security and development
cooperation in the region. The nations voiced their support for a peaceful,
stable and nuclear weapon-free Korean Peninsula as well as parties' efforts in
improving the Inter-Korean relations and the early resumption of six-party
talks.
Regarding the East Sea, leaders
stressed their concerns, mutual benefits and the importance of ensuring peace,
stability, maritime safety and security in the East Sea, also calling for
relevant parties to comply with international laws and the 1982 Unclos fully
and effectively implement DOC, Asean's Six-Point Principles on the East Sea and
the early conclusion of the COC.
The 7th East Asia Summit (EAS),
Asean Global Dialogue and a meeting among leaders of countries participating in
the negotiations for the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement are scheduled to
take place today.
News Desk
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