ASEAN officials discuss measures to strengthen cooperation
An informal ASEAN foreign ministers’ meeting (IAMM) took place at the UN headquarters in New York on September 22 to discuss cooperation within the bloc and coordination in member countries’ candidacies for membership of UN bodies and international organisations.
Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – An informal ASEAN foreign ministers’meeting (IAMM) took place at the UN headquarters in New York on September 22 todiscuss cooperation within the bloc and coordination in member countries’candidacies for membership of UN bodies and international organisations.
The event, held on the sidelines of the ongoing 77th session of the UN General Assembly, reviewed preparations for the 40th and 41st ASEAN summits and related summits, slated for November 10 -13 in Phnom Penh.
Participants affirmed that their countries will keep workingclosely with Cambodia, which holds the ASEAN Chairmanship this year, to ensure thesummits’ success.
They also welcomed some countries’ proposals to join theTreaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) while affirming the TAC’sprinciples and values in guiding relations among regional countries, as well asbetween regional countries with external partners.
Officials also discussedthe Myanmar issue, especially measures for the bloc to effectively engage in andbuild a favourable environment for dialogue in this country.
They voiced their deep concern over the Myanmar situation,stressing the necessity to continue effectively implementing the ASEAN leaders’Five-Point Consensus, particularly promoting the work by the ASEAN Chair’sSpecial Envoy on Myanmar to obtain more concrete progress.
They also affirmed the support for efforts by ASEAN Chair Cambodiaand the Special Envoy, and agreed to increase humanitarian assistance forMyanmar in the coming time.
Addressing the meeting, Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister HaKim Ngoc, authorised by Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, thanked other ASEANcountries for their support to Vietnam to successfully run for many importantpositions at UN agencies. He agreed on the continuation of the bloc’s normalpractices, coordination, and mutual support in coming candidacies.
He emphasised that ASEAN needs to keep upholding andpromoting the TAC’s principles and values, especially amid profound,fast, and complex changes in the region and the world that havemultidimensional impacts on all countries.
Regarding the Myanmar issue, Ngoc held that ASEAN should be morepersistent and active in helping the country overcome the crisis and seek solutionsfor the sake of its people.
The bloc should press on with implementing the consensuswith concrete and realistic targets and clear results, he stressed, adding thatVietnam and other ASEAN members strongly support Chair Cambodia, particularlythe Special Envoy, to keep carrying out assigned tasks, thereby helping promotedialogue and reconciliation and work towards durable solutions for Myanmar andits people./.
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Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Ha Kim Ngoc (Photo: VNA) 
