The 17th ASEAN Summit is just kick-started on October 28 in Ha Noi, creating opportunities for ASEAN to review cooperation outcomes in 2010 among the bloc’s member states and with its partners and figure out prioritized orientations in the upcoming time.
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Heads of delegations of ASEAN member states attend the 17th ASEAN Summit, Ha Noi, October 28, 2010
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Addressing the opening ceremony, Vietnamese PM Nguyen Tan Dung announced that under the overarching theme of “Towards the ASEAN Community: From vision to action,” ASEAN has in the past year been undertaking many concrete activities that bring about significant outcomes in the realization of the set goals and plans.
The ASEAN Charter, said Mr. Dung, has truly been brought to life with the smooth operation of the new organizational structure as well as the finalization of related legal documents, thus creating the legal basis and institutional framework for the ASEAN Community and deeper regional integration.
“We are pleased with enormous achievements made. Yet we can also see clearly the duties and tasks ahead in fast changing and complicated developments in regional and international situation wherein opportunities and challenges intertwine,” said the PM.
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Vietnamese PM Nguyen Tan Dung addresses the 17th ASEAN Summit, calingl upon ASEAN member states to speed up the building process of the ASEAN Community, Ha Noi, October 28, 2010
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He added that the 17th ASEAN Summit and related Summits provide an opportunity for ASEAN to take stock of the implementation of agreements and to find appropriate solutions to further accelerate the course of building the ASEAN Community, strengthen ASEAN’s external relations and enhance our international role and position.
Accordingly, the Vietnamese PM suggested the meetings focus on the following important issues.
First, to further identify and carry out comprehensive measures to accelerate the implementation of the programs and plans specially solutions to ‘culture of compliance’ through, strengthening the monitoring and assessing mechanisms for the materialization of agreements.
Second, to strengthen ASEAN’s external relations through concrete plans and measures to support the goal of building the ASEAN Community. Accordingly, ASEAN should proactively push up relations with dialogue partners under the ASEAN+1 framework to a higher level, which should be more comprehensive, substantive and effective.
Third, to further undertake comprehensive measures to ensure ASEAN centrality in an evolving regional architecture along the line of decisions made at the 16th ASEAN Summit.
Fourth, to further enhance its role as an important force in the maintenance of peace and stability in Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific at large.
Fifth, to act as a responsible member of the international community in responding to the current global challenges, especially the economic-financial crisis, climate change, natural disasters or pandemics.
Finally, PM Dung expressed his confidence that with strong political determination and far-sighted vision as well as the active and valuable contributions from all Leaders of ASEAN and partner countries, the meetings will find practical solutions to the matters at hands for the common interest of peace, stability and development in the region./.