Vietnam chairs 229th ASEAN Committee meeting in Ottawa
On December 1, the 229th Meeting of the ASEAN Committee in Ottawa (ACO) took place at the "Vietnam House," chaired by Vietnamese Ambassador to Canada Le Sy Vuong Ha, current Chairman of the ACO.
At this conference, ambassadors of seven ASEAN countries currently having representative offices in Canada, including Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Myanmar, Malaysia and Brunei, informed each other about ASEAN's activities in the past time, in which the post-PMC conference with Canada reviewed the ASEAN-Canada action plan to implement the Joint Declaration on the ASEAN-Canada Enhanced Partnership for the period 2010-2015, and the possibility of future cooperation in line with the ASEAN Connectivity Plan.
Conference scene. Photo: Thanh Hoa/Vietnam+
The Ambassadors also reviewed the activities of ASEAN diplomatic representations in Canada, including preparations for the 35th anniversary of ASEAN-Canada relations in 2012, and discussed strengthening the ASEAN diplomatic corps’ relations with local agencies such as the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Parliament.
Canada now views ASEAN as an important partner and is considering establishing a development fund to support the activities of the ASEAN community in Canada. The government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper is closely monitoring the development of the ASEAN regional architecture.
Canada has signed the Third Protocol to the Amendment to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), preparing to finalize the ASEAN-Canada Joint Declaration on Trade and Investment.
The Vietnamese Ambassador to Canada is currently the rotating Chair of the ACO, serving a six-month term from July 1 to December 31. The ACO is responsible for coordinating the activities of ASEAN diplomatic missions in Canada, including organizing friendly sports competitions and publishing the ASEAN newsletter.
At this conference, Ambassador Le Sy Vuong Ha transferred the ACO chairmanship to Philippine Ambassador Leslie Gatan, who will assume the above position from January 1 to June 30, 2012.
According to VNA/Vietnam+
