The 46th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM-46) was convened in
Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital city of Brunei, on June 30.
A Vietnamese delegation to the event was led by Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh.
Addressing the event, Brunei Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade,
Prince Mohamed Bolkiah, stressed that the event aims to review progress
made on the initiatives agreed by ASEAN leaders at the ASEAN summit held
in Bandar Seri Begawan in April 2013.
He expressed his hope
that ASEAN foreign ministers will “retain with the idea of ASEAN
centrality” and continue seeking ways to strengthen peace and stability
in the region.
Major topics of discussion included the
establishment of the ASEAN Community by 2015, which will increasingly
link the economies, politics and social responsibilities of the bloc’s
members.
The prospective formation of an official community will
also enhance ASEAN’s central role in evolving regional structures and
settling important issues, while also boosting the bloc’s external
relations.
At the meeting, participants debated how to improve
regional connectivity to drive links with East Asia and ensure a
peaceful and stable environment, while coping with traditional and
non-traditional security challenges like climate change, natural
disasters and epidemics.
They also discussed how to make best
use of the region’s numerous political and security forums, including
the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the East Asia Summit (EAS) and the ASEAN
Defence Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+).
Finally, they assessed
the progress made on measures stated in agreements including the Treaty
of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) in Southeast Asia, the Southeast Asian
Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty (SEANWFZ), and the Declaration on the
Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC).
During their
reflections on the DOC, the foreign ministers touched upon the
importance of peace, maritime security, safety and freedom in the East
Sea and called for the respect of international laws, namely the 1982
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and ASEAN’s
Six-Point Principles. They also urged the prompt formulation of the Code
of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).
Earlier, the ASEAN Senior
Officials’ Meeting (SOM) and the Meeting of the Executive Committee of
the SEANWFZ Commission (SEANWFZ Ex-Com) took place in the same city from
June 27-29.
Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Vinh led a Vietnamese delegation to these functions.
The event was held in preparation for the number of important meetings
which will take place from June 30-July 2 in the Brunei capital. These
will include the AMM-46, the ASEAN+3 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, the
Post Ministerial Conference (PMC), the third East Asia Summit Foreign
Ministers’ Meeting and the 20 th ASEAN Regional Forum.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.-VNA