PANO – The 11th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit concluded at the “ASEM Village” in Ulan Bator, Mongolia, on July 16 with the approval of the Chair’s Statement and the Ulan Bator Declaration, stating ASEM leaders’ resolve to strengthen the Asia-Europe partnership for the future through connectivity.

The 11th ASEM Summit started the second working day with a session focusing discussion on regional and international issues, particularly those relating to peace, security, terrorism, migration, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, maritime freedom and so on.

The host concluding the 11th ASEM Summit

The 11th ASEM Summit issued a statement to strongly denounce terror attacks in Asia and Europe, to express unity and deep sympathy to the French Government and people on their enormous loss in the recent terror incident. Leaders of countries shared their views on the complex situations in the Middle East, Nothern Africa, the Korean Peninsular, Ukraine as well as the migration crisis and impacts of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. Many delegates also expressed their concern over the recent developments in the East China Sea and South China Sea (East Sea) that have left negative impacts on Asia’s security environment.

The ASEM leaders agreed on the urgent need for bolstering cooperation to maintain peace, stability and security. They committed to joint efforts to ensure peace, stability, navigation and overflight safety and freedom, and unimpeded trade. They urged for self-restraint, not using or threatening to use force and unilateral actions, settling disputes through peaceful measures on the basis of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (in the center) in a joint photo with other ASEM countries' leaders

Speaking at the 11th ASEM Summit, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc emphasized that development, connectivity and cooperation goals will be unachievable in an environment that is unstable and full of risks.

Current complicated developments require both continents to increase constructive dialogue, exchange and cooperation in terms of both quantity and quality, share common interests and responsibilities to ensure peace and stability, in order to explore all resources for realizing the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and other internationally recognized goals, he said.

He called on the ASEM member nations to take the lead in boosting dialogues on regional, inter-regional and global cooperation while paying attention to trust building measures and preventive diplomacy.

The Vietnamese Prime Minister said, although Asia-Pacific remains a dynamic region and a growth engine the global economy, recent worrying developments in the East Sea (South China Sea), a life-line of international navigation and aviation, have been undermining trust, refueling tensions and threatening peace, security and stability in the region and the world.

In recent years, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have shown its central role and, together with other existing mechanisms at the regional and inter-regional levels including ASEM, contributed to maintaining regional peace, security and stability, the leader said.

ASEAN has continually persisted in boosting dialogues, trust building measures and preventive diplomacy. The bloc’s consistent viewpoint is to exercise self-restraint, not have unilateral actions causing tensions and complicating the situation, not use coercion and conduct militarization, fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and work to soon finalize a code of conduct in the waters (COC).

From Vietnam’s viewpoint, all disputes must be resolved peacefully in conformity with international law, including the UNCLOS, and with full respect to diplomatic and legal processes, he stressed.

Vietnam has been joining hands with other ASEAN members and countries around the globe to promote dialogues to ensure peace, security and stability in the region and the world at large, PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc concluded.

On the sidelines of the 11th ASEM Summit, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc had a meeting with his Slovenian counterpart Miro Cerar. The two governmental leaders expressed delight at recent positive developments of bilateral relations and cooperation between Vietnam and Slovenia and both wished to bolster bilateral relations and cooperation in the future.

The Vietnamese PM said that the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry is forming a section inside the Vietnam-Slovenia Intergovernmental Committee for economic cooperation and wishes to hold the first meeting between the two sides later this year to boost trade and investment ties between the two countries. The Slovenian PM said that his Government is considering providing its ODA for several environmental and public medicine projects in Vietnam. He also pledged to support Vietnam in accessing sources of international development assistance after 2017. The two sides agreed to sign agreements soon so as to create platforms for cooperation in all areas.

The Slovenian PM invited Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to Slovenia and the Vietnamese PM happily accepted the invitation, and the two PMs agreed that the visit will be arranged at a suitable time.

On noon of July 16, the 11th ASEM Summit was successfully closed after two days working actively and effectively. The summit pass two important documents: the Chairman Statement and Ulan Bator Statement, which has conveyed a strong message of ASEM member countries’ leaders on their resolve to strengthen the Asia-Europe Partnership and offered major directions for ASEM cooperation in the future. Delegates at the meeting also passed 20 initiatives proposed by member countries. Vietnam’s initiative on an ASEM meeting on creative education and human resources building for sustainable development was highly appropriated and widely applauded at the 11th ASEM Summit.

At the closing ceremony, Mongolia handed over the ASEM Chairmanship to EU’s representative. Accordingly, the EU will host the 12 ASEM in 2018 and Myanmar will host the 13th ASEM Foreign Minister’s Meeting in 2017.

Written by Van Yen (from Ulan Bator, Mongolia)

Translated by Thu Nguyen