Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son attended the event, which was the result of the consultation process inside ASEAN and between ASEAN and the U.K. since 2020, demonstrating the grouping’s positive and open external relations.
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At the event (Screen captured) |
Speaking at the ceremony, the Brunei Minister of Foreign Affairs appreciated the U.K.’s commitments and potential for cooperation across all aspects of politics-security, economy, and society-culture.
ASEAN expects that with its new status, the U.K. will use its role and strength to promote substantial development of the ASEAN-U.K. ties in contribution to peace, security, stability, and prosperity in the region, the diplomat stated.
U.K. Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab affirmed ASEAN and the Southeast Asia have an important position in the U.K.’s global external relations policy. The U.K. highly evaluates ASEAN’s centrality in the regional structure, he added.
He listed cooperation priorities between the two sides in the time to come, including economic collaboration, green growth promotion and sustainable infrastructure.
The U.K. is willing to step up joint work with the grouping in responding to and controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, to supply vaccines for ASEAN, and to help the association boost its capacity for preventive medicine, the official said.
Highlighting marine cooperation between the sides, he stated the UK will join ASEAN in enhancing maritime law enforcement capacity to contribute to upholding the value and role of international law, especially the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982 (UNCLOS 1982).
Source: VNA