Foreign Minister attends ASEAN meetings with partners

Specifically, Bui attended the 13th East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign Ministers' Meeting and the ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference (PMC) with the U.S.

Addressing the EAS meeting, Bui said through consultations, the EAS has contributed to promoting cultural dialogue and cooperation, increasing similarities, narrowing differences, and enhancing trust among its member countries.

It is necessary to strengthen coordination to ensure a sustainable future for the people of the two sides through cooperation in health care, education, human resources development, green transition, and sustainable development, he said.

He suggested the two sides pay greater attention to and provide effective support for the development of sub-regions, contributing to inclusive, equitable, and sustainable growth in the region.

Bui called on ASEAN's partners to demonstrate respect for and support the central role played by ASEAN, and work together with the bloc to promote dialogues and consultations, build trust, address common challenges, and develop an inclusive, transparent, and rules-based regional structure.

He reaffirmed ASEAN's principled stance on the East Sea and called on ASEAN's partners to continue supporting and responsibly contributing to ASEAN-led efforts in ensuring peace, security, and stability in the sea;

The Vietnamese Foreign Minister underlined the need to build a substantive and effective Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in line with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (1982 UNCLOS).

The same day, FM Bui Thanh Son attended the 30th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).

The minister emphasized the need to ensure ASEAN's centrality, uphold objectives and principles of the ARF, formulate substantive agendas, promote the responsibility of member nations, and maintain a balanced and inclusive approach.

The culture of dialogue and consultation should be maintained and enhanced with ASEAN at the center, thereby contributing to peace, security, stability, and prosperity in the region, he stated.

Over the past 30 years, through consultation, ASEAN has successfully built a common stance on the East Sea, with principles such as restraint, peaceful resolution of disputes, and respect for international law and the 1982 UNCLOS, he added.

While committing to fully and effectively implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), ASEAN and China are working together towards a substantive, effective, and legally binding COC in line with international law, including the UNCLOS, he said.

The Vietnamese official took the occasion to announce that Viet Nam will co-chair the ARF Inter-Sessional Meeting on Disaster Relief for the 2024-2026 term with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

At the meeting, the participating countries reviewed the ARF's operation in 2022-2023, and orientations in the time ahead, and exchanged views on regional and international issues of shared concern.

They approved a list of activities for 2023-2024. Viet Nam will co-chair several ARF activities regarding the implementation of the 1982 UNCLOS, and the fight against terrorism, transnational crimes, and chemical, biological, nuclear, and radiological terrorism.

The meeting adopted a joint statement commemorating the 30th anniversary of the ARF, with Indonesia, Viet Nam, China, Australia, and Canada as co-sponsors.

At the end of AMM-56 and related meetings, foreign ministers approved nearly 40 documents, including the AMM-56 joint communique./.