Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister NguyenXuan Phuc arrived back in Hanoi on late November 28, ending his trip to theRepublic of Korea (RoK) for the ASEAN-RoK Commemorative Summit, first theMekong-RoK Summit, and an official visit to the RoK at the invitation ofPresident Moon Jae-in.

During the trip, the PM and his entourage engaged in a wide range ofbilateral and multilateral activities, reaping practical outcomes.

In particular, the PM’s official visit to the RoK set a new milestone inthe Vietnam-RoK relationship with the signing of several cooperative dealsvalued at billions of VND, pushing the bilateral strategic partnership forwardin a result-oriented, effective and comprehensive manner. 

Talkingabout the outcomes of the PM’s tour, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dungsaid the commemorative summit, held at the RoK’s initiative to commemorate 30years of ASEAN-RoK dialogue relations, was considered an important highlight inthe New Southern Policy of RoK President Moon Jae-in.

At the event, the RoK made a strong commitment to enhancingrelations with ASEAN and stressed the wish to join hands with the bloc to builda peaceful, prosperous, sustainably cohesive and people-centred community.

The cooperation fields that will be promoted arealso the strengths of the RoK and meet ASEAN’s demand, including infrastructureconnectivity (by sea, road and air), digital and people-to-people connectivity,innovation, new technology development and application, effective adaptation tothe Fourth Industrial Revolution, support for startups in science andtechnology, and high-quality human resources development, Dung said.

He noted the RoK also unveiled initiatives onimproving tourist and work visa systems for ASEAN citizens, doublingscholarships for ASEAN students, setting up an ASEAN-RoK industrial innovationcentre, and connecting with the ASEAN Smart Cities Network.

At a discussion about dialogue promotion forsustainable peace on the Korean Peninsula, ASEAN countries affirmed theirsupport for the RoK’s policy and President Moon’s efforts to step up dialogue,enhance trust, and work towards sustainable solutions for peace anddenuclearisation. They pledged to continue contributing to this process,including by creating conditions for contact and dialogue on the sidelines ofASEAN-led forums like the ASEAN Regional Forum.

President Moon highlighted the goodwill andsupport of ASEAN members, including Singapore and Vietnam, according to DeputyMinister Dung.

At the end of the summit, ASEAN and the RoKadopted a joint vision statement for peace and prosperity and to outline majororientations for their partnership.

Dung noted as Vietnam is the next ASEAN Chair,PM Phuc had played an active role at the summit. 

The Vietnamese leader pointed out importantdirections for reinforcing and elevating ASEAN-RoK relations in the next 30years with four priorities, namely increasing the strategic aspects of theirties, bolstering balanced and win-win economic cooperation, stepping upcomprehensive connectivity, and cooperation to the develop marine economy andenvironmental sustainably.

These priorities match the attention andpriorities of both the RoK and ASEAN, and they are also the focuses Vietnamwill promote as the ASEAN Chair in 2020, the deputy minister said.

He added PM Phuc also vowed that Vietnam willcontinue working closely with other ASEAN countries to further intensify thestrategic partnership and all-round collaboration with the RoK to bringbilateral ties on par with both sides’ potential and aspirations.

At the event, ASEAN countries and the RoKexpressed their belief in and affirmed that they will strongly support Vietnamto successfully fulfill its role as ASEAN Chair next year, the officialnoted./.