Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attends 18th ASEAN - India Summit on October 28 (Photo: VNA)

Attending the 18th ASEAN - India Summit via videoconference, the Vietnamese leader also asked for India’s support for ASEAN endeavors to uphold international law and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and peacefully settle disputes and differences through dialogue and diplomatic processes so as to ensure that the East Sea is a sea of peace, cooperation, and development.

He urged both sides to assist each other in COVID-19 response and sustainable recovery. He asked India to actively help ASEAN countries develop the pharmaceutical industry, gain sufficient and timely access to sources of COVID-19 vaccines and drugs, and transfer the vaccine and drug production technology.

Indian PM Narendra Modi underlined that his country treasures the strategic partnership with ASEAN, which holds a special position in its Act East policy.

He affirmed the support for ASEAN’s stance on promoting dialogue and trust building, fully and effectively implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and building an efficient and effective Code of Conduct (COC) in the waters that is in line with international law and the 1982 UNCLOS.

At the summit, participants highly valued the relations between ASEAN and India, which is the sixth largest trade partner of ASEAN and ranks seventh among investors in this bloc.

The two sides agreed to continue assisting each other in pandemic response and stepping up comprehensive recovery through increasing bilateral trade and investment, consolidating regional supply chains, facilitating trade and goods flows, helping businesses access each other’s markets, and fruitfully carrying out the ASEAN - India Free Trade Area.

Concluding the event, they adopted an ASEAN - India joint statement on cooperation in implementing the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific for peace, stability, and prosperity in the region.