ASEAN ministerial meetings wrap up in Đà Nẵng

The ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Retreat opens in Đà Nẵng, January 14, 2010 – Photo: VNA

The third APSC Council meeting reviewed latest developments in the council’s sectoral bodies in efforts to build a political-security pillar and agreed on the need to further enhance information sharing and coordination among the APSC sectoral bodies and stakeholders.

The Special ACC Meeting adopted the draft Terms of Reference on the High-level Task Force on ASEAN Connectivity and agreed that the Task Force would start their work in late January or early February this year.

At the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat, the Ministers exchanged views on directions for ASEAN cooperation in 2010 with two major clusters of issues: ASEAN Community Building and ASEAN’s External Relations.

They stressed the need to give priority to ASEAN connectivity in a wide range of areas from infrastructure, telecommunications, information technology, mobility of people, to facilitation of trade, thus further enhancing linkages with external partners, especially in East Asia, as appropriate.

At the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat, the Ministers exchanged views on directions for ASEAN cooperation in 2010 with two major clusters of issues: ASEAN Community Building and ASEAN’s External Relations, Đà Nẵng, January 14, 2010 – Photo: VGP

The Ministers discussed measures to boost ASEAN’s partnerships with dialogue partners, including the holding of various ASEAN summits with dialogue partners such as the regular Summits with China, Japan, Republic of Korea, India, and the Second Summit between ASEAN and Russia, Second Summit between ASEAN and the US.

They agreed on the accreditation to ASEAN from a number of countries, namely Germany, Slovakia, Hungary, Switzerland, Pakistan and Morocco.

During the meeting, the Ministers heard of the ASEAN Secretary-General’s report on efforts to help Myanmar overcome the consequences of storm Nargis. They agreed on the need for ASEAN to continue cooperation in coping with climate change, following the outcome of the Copenhagen Summit on Climate Change.

In view of the massive earthquake that hit Haiti on January 12, the Ministers expressed ASEAN’s sympathy and condolences to the Government and people of Haiti. Vietnamese Deputy PM-FM Phạm Gia Khiêm, as the Chair of the ASEAN, sent a letter to his Haitian counterpart later in the day.

Through the meetings, the ASEAN Ministers exchanged views on ASEAN’s priorities in 2010 and expressed a high consensus on the theme of ASEAN in 2010: “Towards an ASEAN Community: from Vision to Action.”

Accordingly, ASEAN’s cooperation in 2010 will focus on boosting regional solidarity and connectivity, effectively implementing the Charter and Roadmap to build the ASEAN Community, broadening and deepening relations with partners, enhancing cooperation to cope with climate change, natural disasters and diseases as well as raising the position and role of the bloc.