Vietnam has joined the host India and other ASEM members in affirming
the forum as one of the important inter-regional cooperative and
dialogue mechanisms in the time to come.
Deputy Foreign
Minister Ha Kim Ngoc, head of the Vietnam delegation to the 11th ASEM
Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, made the statement when talking with the
press on the meeting, as well as Vietnam’s contribution to the event.
Taking place in New Delhi, India, on November 11-12, the meeting,
themed “ASEM – Bridging partnership for growth and development”, comes
as the most important activity of ASEM in 2013.
With the
adoption of the President Statement with four important documents on
cooperative directions and programmes of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM)
in the time to come, it manifests ASEM’s joint determination in reviving
the global economy as well as trust in the multilateral trade system,
Ngoc said.
It gave priority to coping with non-traditional
challenges, including water, food and energy security, environmental
changes, disasters, epidemics, terrorism, network security, and maritime
security and safety.
At the press conference, Ngoc said the
member countries shared the views on the joint benefits to be gained by
maintaining peace, stability, maritime security and safety and settling
disputes by peaceful means in line with international law.
Many of them highlighted the recent achievements made by ASEAN and China
in fully and effectively realising the Declaration of Conduct of
Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and their efforts towards a Code of
Conduct in the East Sea (DOC).
Ngoc said the contributions and
initiatives made by Vietnam, especially on water resources management,
received strong support and co-sponsorship from ASEM member countries.
They also applauded Vietnam’s first-time hosting of the 14th
ASEM informal seminars on economy and human rights in 2014.
Established in 1996, ASEM now connects 51 member countries from Asia and
Europe. ASEM nations make up around 60 percent of the world’s
population, contribute 50 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP)
and 70 percent of global trade value.-VNA