(VOVworld) – Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung returned to Hanoi on Sunday after visiting Belgium, the EU, and Germany and attending the 10^th ASEM Summit in Italy. He also paid an official visit to the Vatican. Deputy Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son told the media about the results of the Prime Minister’s trip. Deputy Foreign Minister Son said the Vietnamese delegation led by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung made significant contributions at the Summit. Prime Minister Dung was one of 6 leaders out of 53 member states to deliver a speech at the 14^th Asia-Europe Business Forum. He also represented ASEAN as keynote speaker at a plenary session on Asia-Europe relations in coping with global issues in an inter-connected world. Vietnam coordinated with other ASEAN members and the EU to hold an unofficial ASEAN-EU Summit to discuss ways to elevate relations to a new level towards a strategic partnership. Deputy Foreign Minister Son said Vietnam’s stance was clearly demonstrated in the Chair’s Statement of the ASEM Summit on meeting global challenges and arising issues including the East Sea issue:“The Statement stressed the importance of ensuring navigation safety and freedom in all marine areas particularly the East Sea.  Many delegates said it is crucial to maintain the basic principles of international relations, which are to respect international law and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), use peaceful means to settle disputes, and not use or threaten to use force or unilateral measures to change the status quo.”