Building ASEAN Community remains top priority: Senior ASEAN officials
Successfully building the ASEAN Community continues to be a top priority of the bloc despite the difficulties and challenges posed by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, ASEAN member states reiterated at the ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM), which was held online on July 16 and chaired by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Quoc Dung.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Quoc Dung chairs the online ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting on July 16 (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) - Successfully building the ASEAN Community continues to be a toppriority of the bloc despite the difficulties and challenges posed by theongoing COVID-19 pandemic, ASEAN member states reiterated at the ASEAN SeniorOfficials’ Meeting (SOM), which was held online on July 16 and chaired by DeputyMinister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Quoc Dung.
Membersare committed to coordinating with Vietnam - Chair of ASEAN in 2020 - toimplement priorities and initiatives during the year, including the mid-termreview of the implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, the ASEANCharter, and preparations to build the ASEAN Community Vision post-2025.
Theywelcomed the operation of the ASEAN Fund for COVID-19 response and discussedthe next steps to complete holistic post-pandemic recovery.
Participantsspoke highly of Vietnam’s successful organisation of the ASEAN forum on sub-regionaldevelopment in Hanoi on July 14 under the theme “Converging Mekong sub-regionalcooperation with ASEAN goals”.
Regardingexternal relations, participants held that it is necessary to maintain thecentral role of ASEAN and step up pragmatic cooperation with the bloc’s partners,especially at this difficult time.
ASEANexpects to approve eight action plans in the 2021-2025 period with partners Canada,China, India, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia, the US, and theUnited Nations.
Membercountries spoke highly of the role of ASEAN+3 and agreed to promote cooperationto cope with COVID-19 and revive the economy, in particular improving regionalfinancial and economic self-reliance.
Theyalso discussed measures to strengthen the role and strategic value of the EastAsia Summit (EAS) in the new development period, and increase capacity to dealwith emerging challenges.
Foundedin 1967, ASEAN groups together ten member countries: Brunei, Cambodia,Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, andVietnam./.
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Southeast Asia was the first region in the world to be affected by COVID-19 due to its geographic proximity and close trade relations with China, where the outbreak began.
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The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is emerging and playing a central role in the region, thus looking to converge Mekong sub-regional cooperation with its development goals, according to Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Quoc Dung, head of the SOM ASEAN Vietnam.
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The article stressed that throughout his revolutionary career, the founder of modern Vietnam consistently regarded the revolutionary press as a vital part of the Vietnamese Party’s and nation’s revolutionary struggle.
Pichai said the trade talks with the US are important and need to move forward professionally, without regard for any political changes in Thailand, believing that Thailand has clear principles, guidelines and procedures in place.
The tax adjustment supports the Malaysian Government’s strategy to reduce reliance on foreign food supply chains and to assist domestic farmers, a finance official has said.
The proposed venue is located in the Chatuchak area of Bangkok, featuring eight public sites, including Krungthep Aphiwat Central Terminal and several nearby parks.
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Two naval gunboats intercepted a fishing vessel carrying 1.5 tonnes of methamphetamine hydrochloride off the coast of the main island of Luzon just before dawn, in a joint operation with the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.
In the today context of socio-economic development and growth, the professionalism of Vietnam’s revolutionary journalists continues to rise, guided by exemplary mastery of new information technologies and the modernisation of their founding principles to preserve the enduring values of revolutionary journalism.
Thai Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce Vuttikrai Leewiraphan Thailand's formal proposal will be substantial enough for the US to consider further detailed negotiations. He hoped for a tariff rate not exceeding 10% and suggested that the US might extend the negotiation period if an agreement is not reached by the July 8 deadline.
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The key content of the document titled "Accelerating Innovative Strategies: Addressing the OOSCY Challenges" will be refined further in a seminar preceding the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur this October.
This follows Telegram’s serious failure to address the content that has been repeatedly reported to them, despite various efforts of negotiation and cooperation made by MCMC, it said.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Quoc Dung chairs the online ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting on July 16 (Photo: VNA) 
