Vietnam attends 24th ASEAN - US Dialogue
(VNA) Vietnamese delegation, led by Pham Quang Vinh, Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Head of Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) ASEAN Vietnam participated in the 24 th ASEAN - US Dialogue in Washington on May 25-26.
The Philippines, in its capacity as the Country Coordinator for ASEAN - US relations led the ASEAN delegations. From the US, the delegation was headed by Kurt Campbell, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs.
The delegates discussed several matters, among others, the ASEAN - US five-year Plan of Action, the development of bilateral comprehensive partnership and the US participation in the East Asia Summit.
They touched upon global and regional issues such as regional architecture, the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), the development of the Middle East peace process, the situations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the Iranian nuclear project.
Issues regarding climate change, terrorism, disaster risk management, food and energy security and economic issues were also tabled for discussions at the dialogue.
The ASEAN countries and the US also reached consensus on a number of matters such as recommendations for the preparations for the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM) and the ASEAN Post Ministerial Conference (PMC) scheduled to be held in Bali, Indonesia, in July and the possibility to convene the third ASEAN - US Leaders Meeting in November 2011.
ASEAN, or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam./.
