Vientiane (VNA) - Ministerof Justice Le Thanh Long led a Vietnamese delegation to participate in the 10thASEAN Law Ministers Meeting (ALAWMM 10) in Vientiane on October 12.

Lao Deputy Prime Minister Bounthong Chitmany and ASEAN DeputySecretary-General AKP Mochtan attended the event.

In his speech at the meeting, Bounthong Chitmany expressedhis belief that based on the achievements of the meeting of this kind in the past,this year’s event will be a good forum for officials from judicial and legalagencies, and prosecutors’ offices of ASEAN member nations to discuss and reachconsensus on various work.

Speaking at the event, Longaffirmed Vietnam will work closely with other ASEAN member nations in thefield, saying that Vietnam is carrying out judicial and legal reform in orderto promote international and regional integration.

He called on ASEAN countries to foster cooperation and support Vietnam as theChair of ASEAN in 2020.

Minister Long also took part in bilateral working sessionswith officials from Cambodia and Thailand.

Participants mentioneddifferent progress within ASEAN, especially efforts to realise the ASEANCommunity by 2025. They also reviewed the results of their work since the ALAWMM 9 held in Indonesia in2015.

Ministers expressed their satisfaction at the implementation of variouscooperative activities and initiatives of the ALAWMM, including proposals being reviewed or finalized tostrengthen legal and legislative cooperation within the ASEAN.

Theyapproved the Model ASEAN Extradition Treaty,and agreed to assign ASEAN SeniorLaw Officials Meetings (ASLOM) and the ASLOM working group to begin draftingthis treaty as a follow-up to strengthen ASEAN capacity in fighting transnationalcrimes, and bolster intra-bloc cooperation to ensure the respect of the rule oflaw.

The ministers also applauded the decision of the 8th meeting ofASEAN Senior Officers on the agreement on mutual legalassistance in criminal affairs among the ASEAN countries in Hanoi in April this year to upgrade theagreement into an official document of ASEAN.

They took note of the strengthened cooperation among judicial agencies of ASEANmember nations, especially the establishment of Council of ASEAN Chief Justices (CACJ) which serves as an appropriatecooperation mechanism among judicial bodies of the group’s member countries.

They hoped initiatives approved at the previous ASEANLaw Ministers Meetings and those that will be considered and adopted at thisyear’s meeting will be strongly implemented in the coming time, towards making judicialand legal cooperation within ASEAN more practical and effective, contributingto ensuring sustainable development, peace and stability in the region.

ALAWMM is an event held every three years in turn in ASEAN countries.It serves as a forum for ASEAN judicial and legal officials to discuss and givedecisions on issues related to cooperation in the field among the group’smember nations.-VNA