Orientations for ASEAN cooperation mapped out

Overview of the meeting

Chaired by Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung, Head of the ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) Vietnam, the meeting was attended by 20 representatives from ministries and sectors.

In 2016, Vietnam continued to participate fully in, strictly implement its commitments and contributed effectively to all ASEAN cooperation areas, reflected in crafting national-level plans of ministries and sectors to realize the ASEAN Vision 2025 and general integration, promoting ASEAN solidarity, unity and central role in addressing major challenges in the region, particularly the East Sea (South China Sea) issue, well fulfilling the coordinator role in the ASEAN-India relations, and actively supporting Laos in successfully fulfilling its 2016 ASEAN Chairmanship.

Participants at the meeting agreed that Vietnam should promote its pro-activeness and activeness in 2017 in enhancing ASEAN cooperation with the focus laid on the following areas: continuously implementing plans to build the ASEAN Community on the three pillars; promoting solidarity and unity, and strengthening the central role of ASEAN in shaping the region’s structure; stepping up the practical and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and soon agreeing on the Code of Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (COC); deepening relations with ASEAN for more practical outcomes; improving the effectiveness of collaboration among ministries and sectors in ASEAN cooperation; increasing information sharing about ASEAN, and raising public’s awareness of the ASEAN Community.