(VOVWORLD) - The 50th ASEAN Foreign Ministerial Meeting or AMM-50 and related meetings will take place from Friday to next Tuesday. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh will attend the events to discuss ways to promote solidarity and consensus within ASEAN and expand Vietnam’s role in ASEAN, the Asia Pacific region, and globally.
AMM-50 is the most important meeting of ASEAN and between ASEAN and its partners. The meetings take place amidst call for greater cooperation in the face of increasing strategic conflicts between powerful countries and traditional and non-traditional challenges.
ASEAN’s vitality after 5 decades
AMM-50 and related meetings coincide with the ASEAN’s 50th founding anniversary and 2nd anniversary of the ASEAN Community. To further its growth, ASEAN intends to boost the development of its Community, strengthen external relations activities, and bring into play its central role in the region.
Over the past 50 years, ASEAN has played an increasingly important role in Asia’s and the world’s politics and economics. Its dialogue partners have promoted multi-faceted cooperation with ASEAN through numerous programs, initiatives, and measures. They supported ASEAN’s central role in the regional architecture, pledged to help the development of the ASEAN Community, and considered ASEAN an important economic partner. Deputy Director in charge of ASEAN Affairs of the Japan External Relations Organization Mr. Hirotoshi Ito said Japanese businesses have increased investment in ASEAN since ASEAN’s extensive integration into the world economy:
ASEAN’s role in regional security has been strengthened in recent years and received international support. ASEAN has put forth several mechanisms to promote dialogues, build trust, and create partnership.
ASEAN has demonstrated its responsibility for the East Sea issue, security on the Korean peninsula, and for ensuring peace, stability, security, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Sea. It has promoted serious, full, and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea and worked with China to soon finalise the Code of Conduct in the East Sea.
Vietnam and ASEAN consolidate internal solidarity
This year, ASEAN has accelerated the implementation of action plans and measures in response to traditional and non-traditional security challenges, promoted inclusive, creativity-based growth, and people-targeted activities. Centering on the people, ASEAN countries pledge to create the best conditions for the people to improve their lives to build an ASEAN Community strong in politics-security, economics, and culture-society. But ASEAN is facing numerous challenges. ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh said: “The development gap between ASEAN countries remains big. For example, income per capita of the richest country in ASEAN is 43 times that of the poorest country. This is the biggest challenge facing ASEAN in building a community with inclusive growth.”
ASEAN will continue to support globalization and trade liberalization despite the emergence of anti-globalization and trade protectionism, especially in ASEAN’s major partner countries. This will be a great challenge for ASEAN in the near future.
As an active and responsible member of ASEAN, Vietnam pledges to promote solidarity and ASEAN’s central role and boost ASEAN’s relationships with partners in order to boost Vietnam’s bilateral ties with other countries.