Hanoi (VNA) - Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Head of Vietnam’sASEAN SOM Nguyen Quoc Dung chaired an online ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting onOctober 7.

The meeting drew the participation of the headsof SOMs of ASEAN member states and a deputy secretary general of the ASEAN.

Participants expressed their satisfaction with achievementsin ASEAN cooperation since the beginning of this year.

Under the lead of Vietnam in its role as 2020 ASEANChair, the ASEAN Community building process has been implemented on schedule, theysaid, while emphasising the importance of sub-regional development as well as theneed for ASEAN to coordinate cooperative activities in sub-regions.

Regarding the East Sea issue, the SOM reiteratedthe bloc’s stance expressed at the 36th ASEAN Summit and the 53rd ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, which affirms the importance of maintaining andpromoting peace, security, stability, and navigation and aviation safety and freedomin the East Sea.

Countries pledged to fully and effectively enforcethe Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and coordinate withChina to quickly complete negotiations for an effective Code of Conduct in the EastSea, which is in accordance with international law, including the 1982 UN Conventionon the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

The meeting also approved the Terms of Reference(TOR) on the establishment of an ASEAN Regional Reserve of Medical Supplies (RRMS)and an ASEAN COVID-19 response fund.

They urged ASEAN medical officials to soon establishStandard Operating Procedures (SOP) for Public Health Emergencies Response. Theyalso exchanged opinions on a draft ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework andexpressed support for a plan to build a travel corridor between ASEAN countriesamid the complex developments of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Countries stressed the importance of ASEAN’s centralrole and backed Vietnam’s proposal to issue an ASEAN Plus 3 declaration on economicand financial self-reliance to respond to newly-emerging challenges.

Dung spoke highly of ASEAN members’ cooperationwith Vietnam and asked for increased coordination to complete existing initiativesin 2020 as well as initiatives in response to the pandemic.

He stressed that Vietnam, as ASEAN Chair in 2020,is exerting every effort to prepare for the 37th ASEAN Summit, slatedfor November./.