Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Foreign MinisterNguyen Quoc Dung, head of Vietnam’s ASEAN senior officials’ meeting delegation,gave an interview to the media about the outcomes of the just-concluded 34thASEAN Summit in Bangkok.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc led theVietnamese delegation to the opening ceremony and sessions of the summit fromJune 22-23.

As Vietnam will hold the ASEAN Chair in 2020, inhis speech, PM Phuc underlined the need for sustained solidarity and unity inASEAN, calling on the member nations to step up intra-bloc economicconnectivity, trade and investment, and maintain a fair, open and rules-basedmultilateral trade system effectively adapted to the Fourth IndustrialRevolution.

He asked for steadfastness, sincerity andcandour in relations among the member states, stressing the need for respectfor diversity and differences while not harming one another’s sentiment andinterests.

Regarding the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2020,Vietnam pledges to inherit and build on the bloc’s achievements and coordinateclosely with other members while serving as a non-permanent member of the UNSecurity Council, thus helping to promote the global stature of ASEAN.

As for the East Sea issues, the PM said ASEANshould have a straightforward view and recognise the positive steps in thenegotiations on a Code of Conduct (COC) in the East Sea, but it also should notleave aside the complex developments in reality. He asked ASEAN to simultaneouslyencourage dialogues and cooperation and adopt a responsible voice in responseto the developments that negatively affect regional peace, security andstability.

On the sidelines of the summit, PM Phuc had aworking breakfast with his counterparts Thongloun Sisoulith of Laos and SamdechTecho Hun Sen of Cambodia. He also met with Indonesian President Joko Widodo,Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha, Singaporean PM Lee Hsien Loong, and PhilippinePresident Rodrigo Duterte, according to Deputy Minister Dung.

The official noted that the 34th ASEAN Summittook place amidst a number of new developments in the region and the world,from politics, security to economy and society, including the fiercecompetition among big countries, especially the US-China trade tension, thestrongly growing Industry 4.0, and global challenges like marine waste,pollution and climate change.

Dung described the theme “Advancing Partnershipfor Sustainability” for the ASEAN Chairmanship 2019 of Thailand as appropriatewhich has created a prerequisite for cooperation for sustainability of thebloc.

At the summit, the countries looked into majorand strategic issues relevant to cooperation within ASEAN and between ASEAN andpartners. They adopted a document on the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific,which affirms the immutable principles of the grouping and sets up orientationsfor ASEAN’s behaviours towards partners.

The participating leaders discussed manymacro-measures to foster economic and trade cooperation within the bloc, thusenhancing ASEAN’s resilience. In particular, they agreed to promote a seamlessASEAN through stepping up sub-regional connectivity; actively prepare forIndustry 4.0, especially in terms of human resources; and soon conclude thetalks on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).

During the event, they also agreed to promote anASEAN of sustainable development that is oriented towards the people, centreson the people and, especially, leaves no one behind. Given this, they wereunanimous in reinforcing the complementarity between the ASEAN Community Vision2025 and the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and in cooperating todeal with waste, environmental pollution and climate change.

Four documents were adopted at the summit, namelythe ASEAN Leaders’ Vision Statement on Partnership for Sustainability, theBangkok Declaration on fighting maritime waste in the region, the ASEANLeaders’ Statement on the ASEAN Cultural Year 2019, and the document on theASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific.

Deputy Minister Dung highlighted the importanceof the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific, adding that this document affirms thepossibilities of the bloc’s cooperation, consensus and solidarity in respondingto external changes and challenges. It is also a message of the grouping to theworld that expresses the wish to have an Indo-Pacific region of peace,stability and prosperous development.

At the summit, the regional leaders emphasisedthat countries need to persist in principles of international law, includingthe 1982 UN Convention of the Law of the Sea, exercise self-restraint, andavoid unilateral actions that may undermine trust like land reclamation andmilitarisation in the East Sea.

They also applauded the attained outcomes in theCOC talks, voicing their hope to soon finalise an efficient, effective andinternationally recognised COC, the official added.-VNA