Prime Minister attends EU-ASEAN Commemorative Summit in Belgium

At the summit, the leaders will celebrate the 45th founding anniversary of diplomatic relations between ASEAN and the EU based on the shared values and principles such as rule-based international order, international law, effective multilateralism as well as free and fair trade.

The leaders will review and evaluate the outcomes of cooperation between the two sides over the last 45 years and chart major directions for the bilateral ties in the time. They will also discuss regional and international issues of shared interests.

ASEAN and the EU established dialogue relations in 1977 and elevated ties to a strategic partnership in 2020, with a commitment to work together on enhancing prosperity, promoting security, and strengthening resilience and improving sustainable connectivity.

Both sides are coordinating in implementing an action plan for their strategic partnership in the 2023.

In his strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific released in 2021, the EU considers ASEAN an important partner and expects to further broaden cooperation with the bloc.

Last year, the EU was the third biggest trade partner of ASEAN after China and the U.S., with the two-way trade volume reaching US$268.9 billion, up 18.6 percent against 2020; the second biggest foreign investor in ASEAN after the U.S. with total registered capital of US$26.5 billion.

The EU was one of the first partners that has actively step up cooperation with ASEAN in dealing with COVID-19 since the early days of the pandemic./.