17th ASEAN Summit ends in success
The 17th ASEAN Summit and related meetings successfully closed in Hanoi on October 30 after three intensive and effective working days, showing a close-knit relationship of member countries in the region.
With a political determination and a vision in the future, the summit adopted important decisions and practical measures to speed up the process of formulating an ASEAN community and enhance ASEAN’s central role in a shaping regional structure in order to bring relations between ASEAN and its partners to a higher level and make the best of tools and mechanisms for dealing with challenges in the region.
In his closing speech, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung emphasised that building the ASEAN Community is the central and overarching task of the association.
He said that the 17th ASEAN Summit made real progress in turning the organisation’s vision into concrete and practical actions.
The association is determined to make greater efforts to effectively implement agreements, especially by strengthening the monitoring and outcome assessment mechanisms as well as resources mobilization in the implementation of the Charter, the Roadmap for the ASEAN Community and other important plans and programs, including the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity.
The association encourages member countries to incorporate regional agreements into their respective national development plans and programs to create a harmony in the implementation of national and regional goals.
The summit also made tremendous efforts to enhance, expand and deepen the external relations of the Association while promoting ASEAN’s centrality in the region. The association has forged a common voice in many important and complicated issues, and proved itself to be the primary driving force in promoting dialogue and cooperation for peace, security and development in the region. It has also managed to link and harmonize the intertwined interests of its partners. Reality shows that ASEAN continues to maintain its centrality and its role as the leading factor in the promotion of a dynamic regional architecture.
It is highly appreciated that partners continue to attach importance to relations with ASEAN, enhance even further the comprehensive cooperation with the association, support ASEAN in the building of the Community and maintaining its central role in the region.
Sharing determination, ASEAN and its partners have agreed to upgrade the partnerships under the ASEAN+1 framework and make cooperation more substantive and effective, especially in the priority areas. They agreed to work together to improve the efficiency of ASEAN-led regional forums and to enhance dialogue and cooperation for the common interests of peace, stability and development in the region.
ASEAN has increasingly proved itself as a responsible member of the international community by joining efforts to address regional and global issues.
The association has also demonstrated its flexibility and quick response by its prompt actions to promote broad cooperation in responding to emerging challenges, particularly in economic recovery and sustainable development and in addressing global challenges like climate change, diseases and disasters. ASEAN has also made important contributions to the relevant activities of the UN, APEC, ASEM and G20.
PM Dung said the journey ahead of ASEAN is challenging, but with what the association had achieved, with the strong political will of all member countries and the support of their peoples as well as the support and assistance of its partners, ASEAN can be confident in a bright future of a resilient, developed and prosperous ASEAN Community.
He stated that in a year of ASEAN Chairmanship, Vietnam has done its utmost in collaboration with other ASEAN members to attain important results in building the ASEAN Community and contribute to peace, security and development in the region.
He reaffirmed the consistent policy of Vietnam to continue its participation in ASEAN cooperation with the guiding principle of proactiveness and responsibility so as to make contributions to an even stronger and deeper integrated ASEAN.
On behalf of the Vietnamese Government and people, PM Dung expressed thanks to leaders and officials of ASEAN and the partner countries, the Secretary General of ASEAN and the ASEAN Secretariat, and all friends in the region and worldwide for supporting, sharing and joining hands with Vietnam so that it can successfully accomplish the ASEAN Chairmanship of 2010.
In conclusion, PM Dung expressed his wish that Indonesia would successfully assume the ASEAN Chairmanship of 2011.
After receiving the ASEAN Chairmanship of 2011, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono gave a speech, extending his thanks and congratulating Vietnam for having successfully fulfilled the ASEAN Chairmanship of 2010 and bringing member countries closer towards an ASEAN Community by 2015.
Later in the day, PM Dung- ASEAN Chairman in 2010 held a press conference to inform the outcomes of the 17th ASEAN Summit.