Foreign ministers pose for a photo at the 8th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on August 4 (Photo: AFP/VNA) Singapore (VNA) –The 8th East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, which was held inSingapore on August 4, agreed that maritime cooperation will be one of thefocuses the EAS nations are going to promote in the time ahead.
The event saw the presence of foreign ministersof 10 ASEAN nations, along with the US, India, Russia, Australia, New Zealand,Japan, China and the Republic of Korea. Deputy Prime Minister and ForeignMinister Pham Binh Minh led the Vietnamese delegation to the meeting.
The ministers agreed to strengthen marinecooperation, including dealing with waste at sea.
They voiced concerns about the recentmilitarisation activities and complex developments in the East Sea, and askedthe involved parties to increase dialogue and cooperation on the basis ofrespecting international law.
The ministers also affirmed support for peace, stabilityand denuclearisation on the Korean Peninsula and welcomed the positive outcomesof the Inter-Korean and US-Democratic People’s Republic of Korea summits.
Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakishnanemphasised the EAS’s important role in promoting dialogue on strategicpolitical and economic issues, which has brought recognised benefits to peace,stability and cooperation in the region.
The ministers highly valued the encouraginginitial outcomes of and pledged to invest appropriate resources in theimplementation of the EAS’s Manila Plan of Action 2018-2022.
They agreed to continue fostering partnershipsin the prioritised fields of the Manila Plan of Action. They also put forthconcrete cooperation proposals in such areas as sea-related issues, healthcare, education, environment, natural disaster response, innovation, energy ande-commerce.
To prepare for the 13th EAS slated for November,the ministers discussed and generally reached consensus on the documents to besubmitted to the countries’ leaders. These documents are to enhance the EAScooperation in developing smart cities, fighting terrorism, preventing plasticwaste at sea, nuclear security, and IT security.
Addressing the meeting, Deputy PM Pham Binh Minhcalled on the EAS to promote the effectiveness of its activities, especiallythe cooperation in nine prioritised fields of the Manila Plan of Action2018-2022.
He also asked the countries to considerbolstering marine cooperation, including combating piracy, armed robbery andsmuggling at sea, and ensure a sustainable marine environment for economicdevelopment and free passage through sea areas.–VNA
VNA
