Hanoi (VNA) – PrimeMinister Pham Minh Chinh on October 28 called on India to continue supportingand actively contributing to ASEAN’s efforts to maintain peace, security, andstability in the East Sea.

Attending the 18th ASEAN - India Summit via videoconference, theVietnamese leader also asked for India’s support for ASEAN endeavors to upholdinternational law and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS),and peacefully settle disputes and differences through dialogue and diplomaticprocesses so as to ensure that the East Sea is a sea of peace, cooperation, anddevelopment.

He said ASEAN and India arelong-standing partners and close-knit neighbours who share common interests andresponsibility in contributing to regional peace, stability, and prosperity.

He urged both sides to assisteach other in COVID-19 response and sustainable recovery. He asked India toactively help ASEAN countries develop the pharmaceutical industry, gainsufficient and timely access to sources of COVID-19 vaccines and drugs, andtransfer the vaccine and drug production technology.

The PM highlighted the needfor stronger maritime cooperation to guarantee navigation security and safety,conserve the marine environment and ecology, increase sea rescue, and combatillegal fishing and piracy.

Meanwhile, Indian PM NarendraModi underlined that his country treasures the strategic partnership withASEAN, which holds a special position in its Act East policy.

India supports ASEAN’scentrality and pledges to effectively participate in ASEAN-led cooperation anddialogue mechanisms and uphold international law, promote a rules-basedregional order, actively contributing to peace, security, stability anddevelopment in the region, he noted.

He affirmed the support forASEAN’s stance on promoting dialogue and trust building, fully and effectivelyimplementing the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), andbuilding an efficient and effective Code of Conduct (COC) in the waters that isin line with international law and the 1982 UNCLOS.

Modi added India welcomes andsupport the bloc’s role in fostering dialogue and reconciliation in Myanmar andhelping this country seek solutions to stabilise its situation.

At the summit, participantshighly valued the relations between ASEAN and India, which is the sixth largesttrade partner of ASEAN and ranks seventh among investors in this bloc.

The two sides agreed to continueassisting each other in pandemic response and stepping up comprehensiverecovery through increasing bilateral trade and investment, consolidatingregional supply chains, facilitating trade and goods flows, helping businessesaccess each other’s markets, and fruitfully carrying out the ASEAN - India FreeTrade Area.

Concluding the event, theyadopted an ASEAN - India joint statement on cooperation in implementing theASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific for peace, stability, and prosperity in theregion./.