Vietnamese Foreign Minister Advocates Enhanced Connectivity at ASEAN
Luang Prabang, The Gulf Observer: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) should focus on bolstering digital, infrastructure, institutional, and people-to-people connectivity, urged Bùi Thanh Sơn, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam. Speaking at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ (AMM) in Luang Prabang, Laos, Minister Sơn emphasized the need for ASEAN to increase intra-bloc trade and investment, positioning itself as a hub of growth. He stressed the importance of inclusive and creative approaches in implementing cooperation strategies until 2045.
In his address, Minister Sơn extended an invitation to countries to participate in an ASEAN forum on rapid and sustainable development. This forum, initiated by Vietnam, seeks to provide a platform for officials, experts, and scholars to exchange views and formulate policy recommendations related to ASEAN’s development, connectivity, and cooperation.
Expressing Vietnam’s support for Laos’s ASEAN Chairmanship, Minister Sơn confirmed Vietnam’s active participation in upcoming events such as the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit in Melbourne and the 24th EU-ASEAN Foreign Ministerial Meeting in Belgium.
Minister Sơn reiterated ASEAN’s collective stance on the East Sea (South China Sea) and called for sustained support for Myanmar. He emphasized the importance of maintaining ASEAN’s solidarity, consensus, and the principles of independence and self-reliance.
During the retreat, ministers committed to supporting and coordinating the implementation of ASEAN priorities, with a focus on “self-reliance” and “connectivity.” They agreed to accelerate economic recovery, sustainable development, digital transformation, healthcare system capacity building, environmental protection, climate change response, cultural and artistic cooperation, and the empowerment of women and children.
The ministers expressed their desire to build a peaceful, stable, cooperative, and prosperous East Sea, committing to the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC). They also pledged to work towards a substantive and effective Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in accordance with international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
