Second ASEAN-US Summit opens in New York

Vietnamese State President Nguyễn Minh Triết (L) and US President Obama co-chair the 2nd ASEAN-US Summit, New York, September 24, 2010 – Photo: VNA

The leaders underlined the importance to maintain high-ranking dialogues and agreed to host the 3^rd ASEAN-US Summit in 2011 in Indonesia on the sidelines of the East Asian Summit.

The two sides were unanimous in establishing an ASEAN-US Eminent Persons Group in charge of researching and proposing cooperative measures in the future.

ASEAN and US leaders will look forwards the adoption of the new five-year Plan of Action for 2011 and 2015. They agreed to strengthen cooperation in addressing issues relating to trade and investment, energy efficiency, agriculture, educational, cultural and people-to-people exchanges, interfaith dialogue, science and technology, disaster risk management and emergency response, health and pandemic diseases, environment, biodiversity conservation, climate change, combating illicit trafficking in persons, arms and drugs and other forms of transnational crimes.  

US President Obama highlighted that the US wants to boost comprehensive ties with ASEAN, stands for ASEAN’s centrality in the EAS and commits to back the realization of the ASEAN Community by 2015, ASEAN Connectivity as well as MDGs.

ASEAN welcomed the US’s announcement to consult the bloc about the country’s participation in the SEANWFZ Protocol and hailed the US for its support to the ASEAN Inter-Governmental Commission on Human Rights of Women and Children. 

As the Chairman of ASEAN, Vietnamese State President Nguyễn Minh Triết suggested ASEAN and the US promote all-around ties, focusing on economic and trade area.

Finally, ASEAN and the US leaders adopted a Joint Statement which sets specific measures to lift the bilateral relations to a new height./.