Vietnamese PM Nguyen Tan Dung joined leaders of other ASEAN member countries at the opening ceremony of the 20th ASEAN Summit.

With the theme “ASEAN- One Community, One Destiny”, the summit will focus on ways to boost cooperation and increase links within ASEAN, strengthen ASEAN’s cooperation with its partners, enhance ASEAN’s central role in formulating a regional architecture and discuss regional and international issues. 

Vietnam always considers strengthening ASEAN cooperation an important factor in its foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, multilateralization, diversification of relations, and active integration into the region and the world.

In the current context, strengthening cooperation within ASEAN is of great importance for Vietnam as the country integrates into the world. The Communist Party of Vietnam in its documents at its 11th Congress last year said Vietnam aims to promote friendship and cooperation with neighboring countries and be active and responsible in building a strong ASEAN community. Vietnam is also determined to speed up the building of an ASEAN community in the next three years.

"ASEAN’s connectivity will be enhanced in economics, politics, culture, lifestyles and behavior within the ASEAN family. Vietnam aims to increase mutual understanding with other ASEAN members to create a consensus in building an ASEAN Community. This will help raise ASEAN’s prestige in the region and the world", said Le Cong Phung, President of the Vietnam ASEAN Friendship Association. .

Vietnam also supports the implementation of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity, especially key projects on infrastructure, agreements on trade facilitation and liberalisation, and the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) Work Plan 2. Narrowing development gaps between ASEAN member countries is also an issue of concern to Vietnam and the bloc.

"Economics is the top priority in ASEAN cooperation. It’s important for the bloc to implement and help one another implement signed agreements. Less developed countries should strive to keep pace with other regional countries, especially in terms of economic development. Vietnam has effectively responded to a number of ASEAN cooperation programs. The Vietnam ASEAN Friendship Association will continue serving as a bridge linking enterprises within the region", said Phung.

The 20th ASEAN Summit is scheduled to approve the Phnom Penh Declaration “ASEAN- One Community, One Destiny”, a Joint Declaration on a Drug-free ASEAN by 2015, an ASEAN Chair’s Declaration on the celebration of ASEAN’s 45th founding anniversary and a statement of the results of the summit.

VOV5/VOVOnline