Vietnam urges ASEAN to strengthen unity, promote central role
(VOVWORLD) -Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh has urged ASEAN to strengthen unity and uphold its central role in regional and global issues, particularly in maintaining peace, stability, and development.
 Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh (1st row, 4th from left) at an informal ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on the sidelines of the 72nd UN General Assembly session in New York, September 23, 2017. |
Addressing an informal ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on the sidelines of the 72nd UN General Assembly session in New York on Saturday, Mr. Minh highlighted the importance of peace, stability, and navigation and overflight safety and security in the East Sea.
He called on all parties involved in the East Sea issue to pursue the principles of settling disputes by peaceful means in line with international law including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, fully respect diplomatic and legal processes on the basis of international law, implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and achieve a legally binding Code of Conduct (COC).
The ASEAN Foreign Ministers pledged to consolidate ASEAN’s unity and promote its central role in the region. They condemned and urged North Korea to immediate halt nuclear tests, strictly comply with UN resolutions, and return to the negotiating table. The Ministers agreed to ask the ASEAN-China Summit in November to issue an official statement on starting COC negotiations.