Hanoi (VNA) – The 34th ASEAN-Japan Forum took place in Hanoi onJune 3 under the chair of Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dungand his Japanese counterpart Takeo Mori.

Atthe annual forum, delegates affirmed the significance of the strategicpartnership between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) andJapan.

Thecomprehensive cooperation between the two sides has developed strongly over thepast time, significantly contributing to peace, security and stability in theregion, they said.

ASEANmember countries spoke highly of Japan’s active participation in efforts topromote dialogues and cooperation, and build regional trust, through forumshosted by ASEAN like ASEAN 3, the East-Asia Summit, the ASEAN Regional Forum,the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus and the Expanded ASEAN MaritimeForum.

Theythanked Japan for its support for ASEAN’s central role and solidarity, andcontributions to consolidating the regional architecture that is open,transparent, inclusive and rules-based.

Thedelegates acknowledged the dynamic economic, trade and investment ties betweenthe two sides.

Japancontinued to be ASEAN’s leading trade partner with turnover reaching 219 billionUSD and Japan’s foreign direct investment (FDI) in the ten-member group hitting13.2 billion USD, ranking second among investors in the region.

Thecountries welcomed the signing of the first protocol amending the ASEAN-JapanComprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement which aims to boost trade andinvestment links between the two sides.

ASEANmember countries thanked Japan for helping the group promote connectivity andnarrow development gap, towards people.

Thetwo sides agreed to continue effectively realising the Implementation Plan ofthe Vision Statement on ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation, step up regionalconnectivity, develop high-quality human resources and expand cultural andpeople-to-people exchanges.

Theyconsented to soon complete negotiations of the Regional Comprehensive EconomicPartnership (RCEP) in 2019.

Regardingregional and international issues, they spoke of recent progress on the KoreanPeninsula and outcomes of summits between the US and the Democratic People’s Republicof Korea in Singapore and Hanoi.

Thedelegates voiced their support for peace, stability and denuclearization on theKorean Peninsula, and called on relevant sides to continue addressing theirdifferences in the spirit of dialogue and cooperation, and seriously andeffectively implementing commitments to complete denuclearization on thepeninsula.

Theforum also touched upon the progress of negotiations of the building of a Codeof Conduct in the East Sea (COC) between ASEAN and China.

Theyshared the views that unilateral attempts to change the status quo andmilitarize in the East Sea have sparked concern, eroded trust and seriouslyaffected security and stability in the area.

Thecountries reiterated the significance of maintaining peace, security, safetyand freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Sea, exercisingself-restraint, not using or threatening to use force, avoiding actions thatcomplicate the situation, peacefully addressing disputes in line withinternational law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Sovereigntyclaims should be made on the basis of international law, they said, underliningthe need to seriously and fully materialise the Declaration on the Conduct ofParties in the East Sea (DOC) and build an effective and efficient COC.

Deputy Foreign Minister Dung lauded Japan for its contributions to regional peace,security and development, and agreed that the two sides should enhancecooperation in the areas of mutual concern like maritime cooperation andsecurity, connectivity, sustainable development, development gap narrowing,youth and people-to-people exchanges, natural disaster and climate changecombat and public health care.

Vietnam, as the coordinator of the ASEAN-Japan relations, will closelycoordinate with Japan and other ASEAN member countries to advance theASEAN-Japan strategic partnership comprehensively, meeting interests of bothsides as well as for the sake of the region and the world at large, hesaid.-VNA