Vietnam performed very positively at the AMM-50 Conference.

We also actively participated in drafting documents and Vietnam's role has been recognized by you.

The 50th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM-50) and related meetings concluded today (August 8) in Manila, the capital of the Philippines. This is the most important foreign ministers’ meeting of the year for ASEAN and between ASEAN and its partners.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Quoc Dung gave an interview to the press about the results of the Conference as well as the contribution of the Vietnamese delegation to the success of this conference.

Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Quoc Dung. (Photo: Communist Party)

PV: Could you please tell us some highlights of this ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting, especially at the time of ASEAN's 50th anniversary?

Deputy Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung:This AMM50 conference takes place right at the time when ASEAN celebrates its 50th anniversary, this is a big event, in addition to the meeting there are also ceremonies to celebrate this event.

Even in the speeches of the delegates, the 50-year mark was clearly shown, with a review of the entire development process of ASEAN over the past 50 years, to determine the position, strong role of ASEAN, its importance and what needs to be done in the coming time. This conference also took place in a complex international and regional context.

In terms of trade and economy, there is a trend of increasing trade protectionism and reducing globalization. Unfavorable trends in multilateral trade and economic cooperation. There are major changes in the countries of the region, changes in leadership of some countries in the region as well as major countries.

These changes all lead to shifts and changes in strategies and policies of countries, all of which have consequences and impacts on ASEAN as well as hot spots in the world. The ASEAN region has also become a major concern of the world, such as the nuclear issue on the Korean peninsula, the East Sea, and anti-terrorism.

All of these contents were presented in this AMM50 meeting. In addition to discussing community building and developing ASEAN's relations with partner countries, delegates spent a lot of time sharing their views and positions on regional and international issues, especially hot issues such as the East Sea issue, North Korea's missile tests, and counter-terrorism in the region as well as in the Middle East. These are the very important contents that the conference focused on this time.

Delegates discussed and approved many documents, statements, ministerial communiqués, ASEAN action plans or statements in preparation for the Summit at the end of the year. The most important ones were the AMM50 Joint Communique, the Leaders' Statement on the 50th Anniversary of ASEAN, the COC framework in the East Sea, and statements on the 40th Anniversary of ASEAN-EU.

With so many documents requiring a process of mutual consultation, requiring a lot of time and effort, it reflects the ASEAN spirit, the “ASEAN way” or ASEAN solidarity and unity.

PV: Could you please tell us about Vietnam's contribution to the overall success of this conference?

Deputy Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung:The Vietnamese delegation was led by the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam. We came to Manila with the mindset of being an active and responsible member of ASEAN and the responsibility to contribute to the process of building ASEAN, building the ASEAN Community, maintaining solidarity and consensus and enhancing ASEAN's central role in the region.

With such a spirit, the Vietnamese delegation showed great initiative at this conference. Firstly, it participated fully and from the beginning in all the preparation processes as well as in drafting documents, contributing both inside and outside all conferences.

Our statements cover all areas of ASEAN cooperation, from economics, trade and investment, connectivity issues, and reducing the development gap. Vietnam is also the current Chair of the group on narrowing the development gap in ASEAN.

We are also the coordinator of ASEAN-India relations, and we have also fulfilled our role well. At the same time, we have contributed issues and frankly shared our views on security, peace and stability, and regional political and security issues.

We also actively participated in drafting documents and Vietnam's role has been recognized by you.

We have our own interests but also understand, acknowledge and reconcile your interests. Vietnam always puts forward specific initiatives to reach consensus. And finally, we have reached a document that meets our interests, meets the common interests of preserving ASEAN's position, preserving the principles that ASEAN has long pursued and agreed upon. Thereby, ASEAN's image in the eyes of other countries has been preserved and promoted./.

PV: Thank you, Deputy Minister!

According to VOV