At the meeting, the Vietnamese official spoke highly of the results of working sessions between the ASEAN Secretary General, representatives from the ASEAN Secretariat and Vietnamese ministries, sectors and businesses during the visit.
He asked the ASEAN Secretariat to closely coordinate with Vietnam’s relevant agencies during the time Vietnam serves as ASEAN Chair next year.
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Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh (right) receives visiting ASEAN Secretary General Lim Jock Hoi. |
Minh noted that ASEAN has recorded major development since Vietnam was Chair of the bloc in 2010, but it is also facing various challenges, adding that the organisation’s top priority is to ensure solidarity, unity and its central role in order to overcome the challenges and effectively adapt to rapid and complicated fluctuations in current situation.
In addition, ASEAN needs to further strengthen intra-bloc connectivity, create optimal conditions for trade and investment, complete talks on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) as scheduled and raise awareness of the ASEAN Community among people and businesses, he noted.
The Deputy PM continued that as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in the 2020-2021 tenure, Vietnam will closely join hands with ASEAN nations to foster the relations and collaboration between the UN and regional organisations like ASEAN.
In reply, ASEAN Secretary General Lim Jock Hoi highly valued Vietnam’s preparations for the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2020 with a specific roadmap and steps, pledging that he himself and the ASEAN Secretariat will spare no effort to assist Vietnam’s agencies during the term of the country’s ASEAN Chair.
He also expressed his hope that as the Chair, Vietnam will promote the efficient implementation of the master plans in the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, including human resources development to improve ASEAN’s productivity.
Source: VNA