Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung highlighted Vietnam’s views on the implementation of the roadmap to build ASEAN Community and Connectivity at the 18th ASEAN Summit’s plenary meeting in Jakarta on May 7.
In implementing the roadmap to build the ASEAN Community, he said, ASEAN needs to define priorities and specific goals for each year, appoint agencies in charge of each area and increase coordination among agencies in each pillar as well as all three pillars.
ASEAN also needs to explore different ways of attracting funding because mobilizing resources bears key significance for the success of the implementation of master plans and working plans, he added.
Regarding the ASEAN Political-Security Community, Dung stressed the need to promote ASEAN existing political-security mechanism, including the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), the Declaration on the Conducts of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), the Southeast Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty (SEANWFZ), the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), as well as to continue to build more norms of conducts to strengthen the environment of peace, stability, cooperation in the region.
In the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) pillar, the PM said the bloc should speed up the progress for the establishment of the AEC by 2015 as scheduled.
He said he agreed with the AEC Council’s proposal on priorities to 2015 as well as priority on building a balanced economic region.
Along with implementing the AEC, ASEAN needs to chart following steps for the ASEAN economic connectivity after 2015, which allows the bloc to both integrate in a dynamic and flexible manner and look towards a stronger connectivity with measures at higher levels.
Regarding the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC) pillar, PM Dung noted the need to define prioritized areas and a roadmap, speed up the building of a mechanism on evaluation and supervision system for the ASCC blue print, which is expected to be applied in early next year, and push up popularization to raise the public’s awareness on ASEAN and the progress to build the ASEAN Community.
The implementation of the master plan on ASEAN Connectivity needs to be given top priority and will be an important basis for building an ASEAN Community by 2015, PM Dung affirmed.
At the plenary meeting, ASEAN leaders noted the significant progress toward forming the ASEAN Community with its three pillars and acknowledged the challenges faced by ASEAN in its efforts to establish the ASEAN Community.
They agreed to increase the efforts by each individual member state and collective efforts to achieve the establishment of the ASEAN Community by 2015.
The leaders emphasized to promote the bloc’s existing mechanism and develop common standards of conducts for strengthening the peaceful environment, stability, cooperation in the region, solve disputes through peaceful solutions in accordance with the ASEAN Charter and international laws.
They agreed to increase cooperation in response to non-traditional security challenges, such as food and energy security, nuclear safety, security, maritime safety and climate change.
Later the day, PM Dung attend the meetings between ASEAN leaders and representatives of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Association (AIPA), ASEAN Youth and civil society organizations.
Also the same day, the PM separately met with the Prime Ministers of Laos and Thailand to promote bilateral ties and discuss international and regional issues of common concern.
The 18th ASEAN Summit continues on May 8 with retreat meetings of leaders.
