 Singapore (VNA) – The cooperation process between ASEAN and its three dialogue partners (ASEAN+3) and the East Asian Summit (EAS) Ministers Informal Consultations are a firm basis for the regional development, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem said.
The Deputy PM’s remark was echoed by other Foreign Ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and ASEAN’s partners (China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea) at the EAS Ministers Informal Consultations meeting in Singapore on July 22.
Deputy PM Khiem, who is also the country’s Foreign Minister, said EAS member countries should strengthen their cooperation in seeking ways to overcome the region’s ongoing difficulties relating to energy and food supply, disaster management, epidemic prevention and environment protection.
At the meeting, the EAS foreign ministers reviewed the implementation of decisions made at the ASEAN+3 Summit in November 2007, including the second-time declaration on cooperation in East Asia and the ASEAN+3 working plan from 2007-2017.
They reaffirmed their commitments to fostering the ASEAN+3 cooperation process, considering this a key tool for the long-term target of building the East Asian Community.
The ministers also praised results of the study on the establishment of a Comprehensive Economic Partnership in East Asia and on the establishment of a Economic Research Institute for ASEAN, which were decided at the third East Asian Summit. –Enditem
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