ASEAN-25 opens in Myanmar

ASEAN leaders - Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

Addressing the opening ceremony, Myanmar President Thein Sein affirmed that solidarity and unity are prerequisites for ASEAN to build successfully a strong and developed community and improve the bloc’s status in the region and the world.

President Thein Sein spoke highly of the bloc’s achievements in boosting regional connectivity, building the community, enhancing relations with partners, and promoting its role in maintaining and consolidating regional peace, security and stability.

He also stressed that ASEAN should further the implementation and conformity to the bloc’s principles and regulations, enhance linkage and connectivity, maintain an equal, sustainable economic growth and development, boost trust construction and promote its central role in available cooperative mechanisms and forming regional structures, for peace, security, stability and development in the region.

PM Nguyen Tan Dung and Deputy PM, FM Pham Binh Minh (R) at the 25th ASEAN Summit - Photo: VGP

After the opening ceremony, ASEAN member countries’ leaders discussed the construction of the ASEAN Community and the bloc’s direction after 2015, promoting relations with partners and tabling regional and international issues of mutual concern.

Regarding the ongoing complicated situation in the East Sea, the leaders continued to express their deep concern and emphasized the importance of maintaining peace, stability, security, maritime and aviation freedom and safety in the East Sea in accordance with international law.

Speaking at the summit, PM Dung highlighted the bloc’s achievements in ensuring regional peace, security and stability. He asked for further efforts to establishing the community to the set targets while promoting the bloc’s responsibility in maintaining peace, security and stability in the region.

ASEAN should pay special attention to the increase in security challenges, particularly non-traditional challenges, like natural disasters, diseases, climate change, water source security, maritime security, terrorism and trans-national crimes, PM Dung suggested.

He expressed his concern about the situation in the East Sea when large-scale activities attempting to alter the status quo of rocks and rocky islands went on.

PM Dung urged ASEAN to be more active and responsible in maintaining peace, security and stability in the region, continuing to request relevant sides to respect and implement strictly the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), resolve disputes through peaceful means and follow international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

ASEAN should fully implement agreed contents, especially early specified measures and mechanisms to ensure the DOC implementation, as well as pushing for practical negotiations for an early conclusion of the Code of Conduct.

Wrapping the ASEAN-25, the leaders issued the Nay Pyi Taw Declaration on the ASEAN Community’s vision after 2015, laying a foundation for developing the community in the 2016-2025 period.

The ASEAN Statement on Enhancing ASEAN Secretariat’s Capacity and Improving Effectiveness of Coordination among ASEAN agencies and the ASEAN Statement on Climate Change were also approved.

On this occasion, the leaders witnessed the announcement of establishing an ASEAN Institute for Green Economy in order to boost experience sharing and cooperation in development and environment.