Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh (L) shakes hands with Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha at the meeting in Bangkok on July 31 (Photo: VNA) Bangkok (VNA) –Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh andforeign ministers of other ASEAN countries paid a courtesy call on Thai Prime MinisterPrayut Chan-o-cha before attending the opening of the 52nd ASEAN ForeignMinisters’ Meeting (AMM-52) in Bangkok on July 31.
In his speech on behalf of Vietnam – the nextcountry to take over the ASEAN Chairmanship, Minh said the bloc is developingmore and more strongly with its central role and stature in the internationalarena consolidated and the Community building process actively carried out.
He affirmed that facing complex developments inthe region and the world, ASEAN needs to stay steadfast, united and resilientwhile promoting the respect for law so as to effectively cope with changes inthe regional and international situations.
The official congratulated Thailand onsuccessfully assuming the 2019 ASEAN Chairmanship under the theme “Advancing Partnershipfor Sustainability” and affirmed Vietnam’s support for Thailand’s efforts inthis direction.
As the next country to hold the ASEANChairmanship, Vietnam will inherit the spirit and momentum of 2019 to enhanceconsensus and cohesion in ASEAN and further bring into play the bloc’s centralrole in effectively responding to global security and development challenges.
Following the meeting, the AMM-52 officiallyopened with the participation of foreign ministers of the 10 member nations, ASEANSecretary-General Lim Jock Hoi and foreign ministers of some guest countries.
After that, the ASEAN ministers convened plenaryand retreat sessions to discuss the Community building, the bloc’s externalrelations, preparations for the ASEAN Summit and the ASEAN Plus summits laterthis year, along with international and regional issues of shared concern.
The AMM-52 kicked off a series of foreignministerial-level meetings of ASEAN and between ASEAN and its partners. Theevents from July 30 to August 3 will be attended by foreign ministers of the 10ASEAN countries, 27 partners and guest countries.
The ASEAN Plus One foreign ministers’ meetingswill take place on July 31 afternoon and August 1 with the presence ofofficials from 10 dialogue partners, namely China, Russia, New Zealand, Japan,Australia, India, Canada, the US, the EU and the Republic of Korea. -VNA
VNA
