Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh: ASEAN is ready to be a 'trusted intermediary' with partners

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that in the current difficult and complicated context, the presence of all EAS leaders at this Conference is a great success, eloquently demonstrating the solidarity, vitality and attraction of EAS. Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

At the Conference, ASEAN leaders and EAS partners (including China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, India, Russia, and the United States) highly appreciated the important role and contributions of the EAS as a forum for leaders to discuss strategic issues, ensuring peace, security, and prosperous development in the region. The countries agreed to promote the EAS to further promote its strategic value and adaptability to the increasing number of challenges arising in the new context.

Acknowledging the progress in the final year of implementing the EAS Action Plan 2018-2022, EAS leaders stressed the need to urgently complete the drafting of the next EAS Action Plan 2023-2027, in line with the new situation, focusing on prioritizing recovery efforts, green and sustainable development.

The countries shared the view that EAS cooperation still has much potential for development in the coming time, accordingly agreeing to strengthen coordination to promote comprehensive recovery, especially improving self-reliance in healthcare, economic recovery, boosting trade, stabilizing supply chains and production, while expanding cooperation in digital transformation, energy, climate change response, towards green growth and sustainable development.

Discussing regional and international issues of mutual concern, the leaders agreed that the EAS needs to promote its role and effectively contribute to efforts to ensure regional peace, security and stability. The countries emphasized the sharing of interests and the responsibility to ensure peace, stability, security, safety of navigation and aviation in the East Sea, refrain from activities that increase tensions and complicate the situation, refrain from militarization, refrain from using or threatening to use force, peacefully resolve disputes on the basis of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); call on ASEAN and China to fully and effectively implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and build an effective, substantive Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in accordance with international law, including the 1982 UNCLOS.

EAS partners expressed concern over the ongoing complicated situation in Myanmar, affirming their support for ASEAN's role and efforts to promote dialogue, reconciliation, and support Myanmar in finding solutions to stabilize the situation soon. Sharing deep concerns about recent developments on the Korean Peninsula, ASEAN expressed its support for efforts to promote peace, stability and complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and is ready to play a constructive role in facilitating dialogue between relevant parties at ASEAN-led mechanisms. Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, the countries emphasized that differences and disagreements need to be resolved by peaceful means, in compliance with the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) and international law.

The Prime Minister affirmed that ASEAN is ready to act as a "trusted intermediary" with EAS partners to consult, dialogue, and seek effective, sustainable, and long-term solutions to current security challenges. Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

Speaking at the Conference, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized that in the current difficult and complicated context, the presence of all EAS leaders at this Conference is a great success, a strong testament to the solidarity, vitality and appeal of the EAS. With its mission as a leading strategic forum, the EAS provides an opportunity to jointly find long-term, sustainable solutions to emerging issues, making a positive contribution to peace, security and common prosperity.

Regarding the future direction of EAS cooperation, the Prime Minister emphasized the need to prioritize promoting economic recovery based on sustainable development, open trade and ensuring smooth supply chains, calling on countries to urgently open markets, facilitate the circulation of goods and services, strengthen integration, overcome broken supply chains, contribute to promoting multilateralism, free, fair and inclusive trade, and bring practical benefits to the people.

ASEAN hopes that EAS partners will support ASEAN in promoting digital transformation, green transformation, developing a circular economy, ensuring energy security, food security, information security, and effectively implementing commitments to green and sustainable development. The Prime Minister asked EAS partners to support ASEAN's efforts to develop sub-regions, including the Mekong, contributing to narrowing the development gap and promoting equitable, sustainable, inclusive and comprehensive development.

The Prime Minister affirmed that ASEAN is ready to act as a "trusted broker" with EAS partners to consult and dialogue, and seek effective, sustainable and long-term solutions to current security challenges, on the basis of equality and mutual respect, enhancing understanding, trust, dialogue and cooperation. In order to shape and strengthen the international system and multilateral structure that is effective, transparent, inclusive and based on international law, creating a foundation for long-term and sustainable peace, ASEAN will continue to work with its partners to promote multilateralism and compliance with international law, in the spirit of transparency, constructiveness, respect for ASEAN's central role and full consultation with ASEAN.

Sharing views on regional and international issues, the Prime Minister affirmed ASEAN's principled stance on the East Sea; proposed that countries work together to build the East Sea into a sea of ​​peace, stability, cooperation and sustainable development, peacefully resolve conflicts, and called on the international community and EAS countries to support efforts to soon achieve an effective, efficient, fair and reasonable COC for all relevant parties, in accordance with international law and the 1982 UNCLOS.

The Prime Minister asked EAS partners to support ASEAN in implementing the Five-Point Consensus and assist Myanmar in finding solutions to stabilize the situation.

* Immediately after the EAS-17 Summit, leaders of the countries attended the closing ceremony of the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and related Summits, and the handover ceremony of the ASEAN Chairmanship from Cambodia to Indonesia.

In his speech as the rotating chair of ASEAN in 2023, the President of Indonesia announced the theme of ASEAN Year 2023 as "ASEAN Matters: The Epicentrum of Growth", and shared a number of priorities that Indonesia will promote in 2023 on building the ASEAN Community, enhancing ASEAN's capacity and operational efficiency, relations between ASEAN and its partners, strengthening solidarity and promoting ASEAN's role and position in the region and globally.

The Summits concluded after four days of intensive and active work, marking a successful year for ASEAN. Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

The Summits concluded after four days of intensive and active work, marking a successful year for ASEAN in the spirit of "ASEAN Action - Responding to Challenges Together", creating the premise and motivation for ASEAN to continue to record new successes in the following years.

The Vietnamese delegation led by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh actively participated and made substantial and effective contributions to all activities, contributing to the overall success of the Conferences, consistently demonstrating Vietnam's support for the 2022 ASEAN Chair Cambodia as well as actively promoting the spirit of initiative and responsibility towards the common work of ASEAN.

* On the afternoon of November 13, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and the Vietnamese delegation left Phnom Penh to return home, successfully concluding an official visit to Cambodia and attending the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and related Summits.