AMM-56: ASEAN and Partners

On the afternoon of July 13, at AMM-56, Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son continued to join partner Foreign Ministers in attending the ASEAN+1 meetings with Japan, South Korea, the European Union (EU), the United Kingdom, Canada, and the ASEAN+3 meeting, with the main focus being reviewing cooperation and setting directions for the future.

AMM-56: ASEAN và Đối tác - Quan hệ sâu sắc, mở rộng tiềm năng, hướng tới hòa bình, ổn định, phát triển bền vững

AMM-56: Minister Bui Thanh Son co-chaired the Foreign Ministers' Meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin. ASEAN-Korea. (Photo: Tuan Anh)

At the conferences, the ministers expressed their pleasure at the positive progress in relations with partners, with many positive results achieved in almost all areas.

Both sides are actively exploring new potential and opportunities for cooperation, contributing to making the relationship increasingly deeper, more substantive, and more effective.

The partners affirmed their appreciation for ASEAN, their support for ASEAN's unity, cohesion, and central role, and their commitment to supporting ASEAN in building the Community and jointly constructing an open, inclusive, transparent regional architecture that operates based on international law.

Minister Bui Thanh Son co-chaired the ASEAN-Korea Foreign Ministers' Meeting with South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin . Speaking on behalf of ASEAN, Minister Bui Thanh Son reviewed the results of cooperation achieved in all areas: security, economy , socio-cultural affairs, and people-to-people exchanges.

The Minister proposed that both sides strengthen cooperation to ensure peace and stability, especially in responding to non-traditional security challenges, deepen economic cooperation for prosperity, and promote cooperation for the people, towards a sustainable future.

Ministers attending the Foreign Ministers' Meeting ASEAN-Korea. (Photo: Tuan Anh)

On this occasion, the Minister announced that Vietnam will host ASEAN-Korea Day in Vietnam later this year, further promoting bilateral relations.

ASEAN welcomed South Korea's announcement of its proposal to establish a comprehensive strategic partnership between ASEAN and South Korea, and appreciated the ASEAN-South Korea Solidarity Initiative. South Korea stated that it is implementing its commitment to double its contribution to the ASEAN-South Korea Cooperation Fund from US$16 million in 2022 to US$32 million by 2027, while also allocating over US$200 million for joint cooperation projects.

The Ministers highlighted the significance of the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-Japan relations and welcomed the proposal to establish a comprehensive strategic partnership with ASEAN on this occasion. Both sides agreed to deepen cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, supply chain stability, connectivity, and the development of high-quality infrastructure, while also expanding cooperation into new potential areas such as innovation, climate change response, and green growth.

ASEAN appreciates Japan's provision of a $3.34 billion financial loan to support post-pandemic recovery efforts, and its contribution of an additional $100 million to the ASEAN-Japan Integration Fund.

Overview of the ASEAN-Japan Foreign Ministers' Meeting. (Photo: Tuan Anh)

Countries welcomed the success of the ASEAN-EU Commemorative Summit in December 2022, which provided direction and momentum for new developments in the future.

Both sides agreed to promote cooperation and exchange on economic and trade issues and explore other potential areas such as the digital economy, green technology, and green services, while affirming their commitment to the long-term goal of an ASEAN-EU Free Trade Agreement.

ASEAN welcomes the EU's Team Europe investment package worth approximately €10 billion by 2027, supporting integration efforts, capacity building, and sustainable development in the region.

At the ASEAN+ 3 (with China, Japan, and South Korea) Summit, the Ministers emphasized the need to maintain and build upon the existing strengths of ASEAN+3, such as cooperation in economics, trade, finance, and disease prevention and response.

The ministers also agreed that there is a need to expand new cooperation priorities to effectively address the difficulties and challenges facing the region.

Accordingly, the countries agreed to strengthen existing economic and financial stabilization mechanisms, promote trade and investment, enhance cooperation in ensuring food security and sustainable agriculture, and effectively implement the ASEAN+3 Emergency Rice Reserve Fund…

ASEAN Ministers attending the Conference ASEAN+3 (with China, Japan, and South Korea). (Photo: Tuan Anh)

Regarding ASEAN- UK relations , the Ministers appreciated the newly established ASEAN-UK dialogue relationship. The countries agreed to effectively implement the 2022-2026 Action Plan, while emphasizing the need for coordinated efforts to further deepen economic, trade, and investment relations, aiming for inclusive growth.

ASEAN appreciates the UK's proposal for key cooperation programs worth £113 million over the next five years, supporting regional economic integration, health, education, women, peace, security, climate change adaptation, and more.

With ASEAN- Canada , the countries committed to coordinating the implementation of the Leaders' Joint Statement commemorating 45 years of relations, towards establishing an ASEAN-Canada strategic partnership.

ASEAN welcomes Canada's commitment to supporting the Community-building process, establishing a C$13.1 million Trust Fund, and providing scholarships for ASEAN students.

The Ministers emphasized the need for both sides to coordinate effectively in exploiting areas of cooperation, making the relationship more dynamic and substantive.

Reviewing and orienting ASEAN's relations with partners, Minister Bui Thanh Son welcomed the continued effective implementation of programs and action plans between ASEAN and its partners, with many practical proposals and initiatives that are in line with the common interests of the countries.

Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son attends the conferences. (Photo: Tuan Anh)

The Minister proposed coordinated efforts to strengthen inclusive recovery, boost growth momentum, and prioritize cooperation in trade, investment, connectivity, human resource training, innovation, energy transition, food security, climate change adaptation, and sustainable development.

Sharing the views of the countries, Minister Bui Thanh Son highly appreciated the commitment of partners to support ASEAN's leading role in efforts to promote dialogue, cooperation, and build trust in the region.

The Minister requested partners to support ASEAN's common stance on the South China Sea, uphold the significance of the DOC Declaration, and assist ASEAN and China in reaching an effective, substantive, and legally sound Code of Conduct (COC) in accordance with international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS Convention, striving to build the South China Sea into a sea of peace, cooperation, and sustainable development.

Tomorrow morning, July 14th, according to the program, the Foreign Ministers of ASEAN countries and their partners will have an audience with Indonesian President Jokowi Widodo; following that, they will attend the East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign Ministers' Meeting, which includes ASEAN countries and partners China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, India, Russia, and the United States.

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