Vietnam hosted for the first time a congress of the ASEAN Council of
Japan Alumni (ASCOJA) in Hanoi on September 7 as part of activities to
mark the 40 th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Vietnam and Japan
and the 40 years of ASEAN-Japan relations.
As the 20 th of
its kind, the congress brought together 350 domestic and foreign
delegates from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Party Central
Committee’s Commission for Foreign Relations, m inistries and
embassies of Japan and ASEAN member countries in Vietnam along with
ASEAN alumni in Japan.
Since its inception in 1977, ASCOJA
has seen the participation of alumni from all ASEAN nations and its
conference is organised every two years in rotation in some ASEAN member
nations.
This year’s congress reviewed ASCOJA’s activities
over the last two years, mapped out orientations and plans for its
2013-2015 tenure, and sought measures to foster cooperation among ASEAN
countries and between the group and Japan in the coming time.
Addressing the event, Chairman of the Vietnam Union of Friendship
Organisations Vu Xuan Hong affirmed that ASCOJA and ASEAN alumni
will strongly uphold their role in promoting exchange and mutual
understanding within ASEAN as well as between ASEAN and Japan.
On the occasion, the ASCOJA congress participants received
greetings from Vietnamese and Japanese leaders and high-ranking
officials, which highlighted the significant role ASCOJA in linking and
strengthening cooperation between ASEAN and Japan.-VNA