Foreign ministers from ASEAN, China, Japan, RoK meet

The ministers unanimously agreed achievements and praised ASEAN Plus Three significant cooperation in various fields within the framework of FTA establishment as well as comprehensive partnership between ASEAN and China, Japan and the RoK.

The ministers reiterated their commitment to accelerating and deepening ASEAN-plus-3 cooperation and recognising the consensus reached as a significant achievement towards an advanced framework of a regional liquidity support mechanism.

At an informal meeting of the East Asia Summit (EAS) on the same day, foreign ministers expressed their joys at the success of the 2nd EAS in January 2007. They said that EAS has become an annual forum for EAS leaders to talk about strategic political and economic issues of common concern.

The ministers also agreed to boost cooperation in such prioritised areas as energy, security, education, finance, bird flu fight, and poverty and natural disaster.

Speaking at these meetings, Việt Nam’s Permanent Deputy Foreign Minister Lê Công Phụng said ASEAN plus 3 development has mushroomed in the past decade and will be a significant cooperation framework for the region and is a key element for a long-standing target of building an East Asia community.

He also noted that the bloc must accelerate dialogues and enhance cooperation with the aim of pushing peace, stability and development in Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific region. - VNA