Foreign Minister attends 24th ASEAN-EU Ministerial Meeting

Addressing the event, Bui hailed the active development in the ASEAN-EU strategic partnership.

He emphasized the need to effectively implement decisions reached by senior leaders at the ASEAN-EU Commemorative Summit 2022, particularly in terms of economics, trade, investment, sustainable development and maritime cooperation.

The Vietnamese diplomat suggested ASEAN and the EU promote new economic drivers such as digital transformation, energy transition, green economy and circular economy.

He called on the remaining EU Member States to early ratify the EU-Viet Nam Investment Protection Agreement (EVIPA) and take advantages of current cooperation frameworks, including the EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA).

Bui suggested the EU support Viet Nam to implement the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) Resource Mobilization Plan.

ASEAN and the EU need to coordinate efforts to ensure peace, security and stability in the Indo-Pacific region, consolidate multilateralism, and popularize a culture of dialogue and cooperation, thereby strengthening an open, transparent, and inclusive regional structure based on international law with ASEAN playing a central role, he noted.

He reaffirmed the principled stance of Viet Nam and ASEAN on the East Sea issue, calling on EU nations to advocate efforts of ASEAN and China in fully and effectively implementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and in formulating 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 (UNCLOS 1982).

Following the event, ASEAN and the EU adopted the Joint statement of the 24th EU-ASEAN ministerial meeting./.