VN priotizes joint efforts to boost ASEM cooperation

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang

Viet Nam has made positive contributions to the cooperative framework over its two decades of membership, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Le Thi Thu Hang was speaking at the ministry’s regular press briefing in Ha Noi on March 1. 

She also affirmed Viet Nam's resolve to promote the Asia-Europe connectivity through the ASEAN Community, and existing partnerships, cooperation mechanisms, bilateral and multilateral relations.

March 1 marks ASEM Day, which celebrates the importance of connecting the two continents of Asia and Europe, based on the principles of equal partnership and mutual respect. As a founding member,Vietnam warmly welcomes the important event, she said.

With the implementation of its extensive international integration and proactive multilateral foreign policies, Vietnam will continue to work hand in hand with members to build a vision for a responsible ASEM with adaptation capacity in the evolving architecture.

Since its participation in the forum in 1996, Viet Nam has been a proactive and responsible member with significant milestones in ASEM’s path of development, thereby helping further elevate ASEM’s role and position.

Viet Nam successfully organised the 5th ASEM Summit in 2004, and economic ministers’ meeting in 2001, information-technology ministers’ meeting in 2006, foreign and education ministers’ meetings in 2009, and labour ministers’ meeting in 2012.

The Southeast Asian nation proposed 23 initiatives and jointly launched 27 others in multitude of fields such as culture, health care, transportation, energy security, food security, climate change, science-technology, tourism, economics, green growth, social welfare.

The country is among leading nations in advancing periodic cooperation mechanism on natural disaster adaptation and ASEM dialogue on sustainable development on water resources, upgrading the Mekong Sub-region cooperation to the regional level, and undertaking first local cooperation projects in ASEM between localities of Viet Nam and Romania and Bulgaria.

Last year, Viet Nam chaired the 37th meeting of the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF) Board of Governors and successfully realized the Prime Minister’s initiative at the 11th ASEM Summit in Mongolia in July 2016, demonstrated by its hosting of the ASEM conference on innovative education and human resources building for sustainable development in Hue city last March.

Also at the press briefing, Hang announced aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, the guided missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain and the destroyer USS USSWayne E.Meyer of the U.S. Navy's goodwill visit to Viet Nam’s central city of Da Nang from March 5-9 at the permission of the Vietnamese Government.

A host of activities are planned for the visit, including a welcome ceremony, a press conference, courtesy visits, technical exchanges, sports matches, and other community-based activities. 

The visit aims to actualize the agreement reached by the two countries’ senior leaders in the joint statement issued by Viet Nam and the U.S. during U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to Viet Nam in November 2017. 

The visit is to continue strengthening the two countries’ ties in line with their comprehensive partnership, thereby maintaining peace, stability, security, cooperation, and development in the region, the official noted.-VOV