AMM Retreat to decide orientations for ASEAN Year 2020
As the ASEAN 2020 Chair, Vietnam will present its ideas and initiatives in the ASEAN Year 2020 at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Retreat (AMM Retreat) that is taking place in the central province of Khanh Hoa on January 16-17.
Hanoi (VMA) – As the ASEAN 2020 Chair, Vietnam will presentits ideas and initiatives in the ASEAN Year 2020 at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Retreat (AMM Retreat) that is taking place in the central province of Khanh Hoa on January16-17.
In its ASEAN chairmanship year, Vietnam will host and coordinateabout 300 conferences and activities. The AMMRetreat is the first one, serving as a forum for participantsto propose and approve orientations for ASEAN’s operation for the whole year.
Vietnam has chosen “Cohesive andResponsive” as the theme of the ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2020. Accordingly, thecountry will promote five priorities, including advancing ASEAN’s contributionto maintaining regional peace, security and stability; promoting regional connectivity, improvingadaptability and taking advantage of opportunities of the fourth industrial revolution;fostering community awareness and ASEAN identity; and promoting partnershipsfor peace and sustainable development.
For ASEAN, 2020 is an important year for reviewing the implementation of masterplans on building the ASEAN Community in 2015-2025. For Vietnam, this is amilestone marking its 25-year ASEAN membership.
Vietnamhopes to promote cohesiveness between the regional organisation with other cooperationmechanisms worldwide through its role as a non-permanent member of the UNSecretary Council, thus improving the position of ASEAN, and affirming thegroup’s central role in the region and the world./.
Vietnam is ready to take on the role of ASEAN Chair in 2020, making contributions to building a cohesive and responsive ASEAN Community, said Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung.
The ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) serves as a solid foundation to promote connectivity within the bloc in the most natural way, said Minister of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs Dao Ngoc Dung on January 7.
Advancing ASEAN’s contribution to maintaining regional peace, security and stability has been identified as one of five key priorities for Vietnam’s ASEAN Chairmanship 2020, wrote Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh in an article. Below is a translation of the article.
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Illustrative photo (Photo: VNA) 
