Hanoi (VNA) – TheAsia - Europe cooperation will be indispensable and increasingly important inthe future, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Minh Vu said about thesignificance of the Asia - Europe Meeting (ASEM) High-level Policy Dialogueheld on June 22.

The dialogue, themed "ASEM at 25: Strengthening Asia-EuropePartnership in a Transforming World", took place in both in-personand videoconference forms in Hanoi under the chair of Vietnamese Minister ofForeign Affairs Bui Thanh Son.

It washeld at the initiative of Vietnam on the occasion of ASEM’s 25th founding anniversary and also one of the most crucial activities of this forumin 2021.

Deputy ForeignMinister Vu stressed that taking place at a time the world is struggling withthe COVID-19 pandemic, the dialogue demonstrated the importance that Vietnamand other countries attach to the Asia - Europe partnership. In particular, itshowed some countries, including Vietnam, have gained certain successes in thecoronavirus combat and begun returning to normal.

In hostingthe event, Vietnam also continues to affirming that it is a safe destinationfor investment and business activities and that in the country, internationalcooperation has returned to normal, he remarked.

Vu went onto say that the dialogue provided an important occasion for participants todiscuss detailed and substantive measures while sharing experiences and waysfor sustainable economic recovery and COVID-19 prevention and control.

Manyparticipants urged promoting the vaccine sharing process more strongly andenhancing cooperation in vaccine development and manufacturing as well asvaccine technology transfer.

At theevent, ASEM also showed itself as a highly dynamic forum and an incubator ofnew cooperation ideas, the official noted, adding that many speakers sharedideas and visions with a view to turning ASEM into a major driver of globalgrowth and economic connectivity and a highly important part of a green andclean world with sustainable, inclusive, and innovative development thatcentres on the people, in the next five and 10 years and beyond.

Basing onthis, ASEM will bring into play its role around the globe more strongly, shapinga rules-based world order and bringing about peace, stability, prosperity, andhappiness to not only the two continents but also the whole world, according tothe Deputy Foreign Minister.

RegardingVietnam’s contributions to ASEM, he noted over the last 25 years, since itbecame a founding member of the forum, Vietnam has pursued the consistentpolicy of proactively and actively integrating into the world, with activecontributions to the forum.

Vietnamhas hosted several highest-level ASEM activities, such as the ASEM Summit in2004 and the ASEM Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in 2009.

The countryhas also served in some important positions in the ASEM cooperation processlike the coordinator of the Asia - Europe cooperation and the deputy directorof the Asia - Europe Foundation. It has also submitted a number of cooperationinitiatives while sponsoring and co-sponsoring more than 60 initiatives andprojects on cooperation development in ASEM.

Vu addedVietnam has also put forth many initiatives for cooperation with other membercountries, particularly in developing the digital economy and society andadopting models of green, clean, sustainable, inclusive, and innovativeeconomic development which are the strengths of many developed nations in ASEM.

The DeputyMinister held that the Asia - Europe cooperation will be indispensable andincreasingly important in the future in the context of the world confrontingthe COVID-19 pandemic, which is forecast to linger on for many year; economies recoveringbut at uneven pace due to different levels of access to vaccines; countriesfacing huge impacts of climate change and the exhaustion of resources; anddigital and scientific - technological revolutions growing strongly around theworld.

At thedialogue, the participating ministers also underlined that the ASEM cooperationis necessary for optimising opportunities and dealing with challenges facingthe international community, including the Asia - Europe forum, he added./.