Ha Noi to host 5 senior ASEAN meetings
Ha Noi, July 16 (VNA) -- Ha Noi will host five meetings of senior officials from member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) from July 23-28, says the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
It announced that all the five meetings deal with issues relating to unity, stability, and the expansion of cooperation.
They include the 34th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting, AMM-34, which will be held on July 23 and 24; the meeting of ASEAN Foreign Ministers and three dialogue partners of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea, ASEAN+3 Meeting, on July 24; the eighth meeting of foreign ministers of the ASEAN Regional Forum, ARF-8, on July 25; the meeting of ASEAN Foreign Ministers and ten dialogue partners and each dialogue partner, PMC+10 and PMC+1, on July 26 and 27; and the second ministers' conference on Mekong-Ganga cooperation, MGC, on July 28.
Participants in these annual meetings will discuss regional as well as world political situations and security, review the implementation of agreements reached at the previous meetings, and work out tasks for the future.
Concrete measures to strengthen peace, stability, and growth in the region as well as implementation of initiatives and economic cooperation programmes among ASEAN countries and between ASEAN with dialogue partners and regional and international organizations will also be discussed at these meetings.
AMM-34 is expected to approve the Ha Noi Declaration on ASEAN joint efforts in narrowing the development gap for dynamic and sustainable growth, launch the implementation of the East-West corridor and the Mekong River Basin development programmes. Meanwhile, ARF-8 will issue ARF President's Statement and adopt documents on concepts and principles on pre-emptive diplomacy and strengthening of the ARF President's role.
MGC will develop programmes and enhance cooperation among countries sharing the Mekong River Basin region: Viet Nam, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and India. It will approve the Ha Noi Programme of Action and cooperation agreements in tourism, cultural heritage preservation, training, communications and human resource development.
Viet Nam, in its capacity as President of the ASEAN Standing Committee, has over the past year made practical contributions to the strengthening of ASEAN solidarity and cooperation, protecting ASEAN fundamental principles, boosting economic cooperation in the region, and raising ASEAN prestige throught the world.
Viet Nam's initiatives to organize an ASEAN cultural week and an Eastern Asia tourism fair, establish a hotline among ASEAN leaders, and improve the efficiency of ASEAN ministerial meetings and seminars have also been effectively implemented.--VNA
