PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc greets ASEAN Secretary-General

The PM hailed the contributions of the ASEAN Secretariat, especially those made by ASEAN Secretary-General Le Luong Minh.

Among the initiatives and cooperative programmes of the bloc, Vietnam is particularly interested in implementing an Initiative for ASEAN Integration and a Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025, he stressed.

The group needs to forcefully promote its role and strengths, contributing to the building of a better world, he said, affirming that Vietnam will continue to be a responsible member in realising ASEAN's common goals, as well as in solving challenges in the development process of the group.

ASEAN and Vietnam should work closely in seeking ways toimprove the trade turnover between the two sides, he stressed.

The PM affirmed that many free trade agreements have been signed and others are under negotiations and Vietnam is willing to serve as a bridge for ASEAN, an important market in the region and the world.

He also underlined the importance of the intra-bloc connectivity and expressed his hope that the connection among the ASEAN member nations will be maintained and enhanced in order to overcome any challenges based on the principle of consensus.

The PM hailed the outcomes of ERIA's scientific research which have contributed to promoting ASEAN's development in the context of regional and global integration.

Le Luong Minh said 2017 is important for ASEAN and Vietnam, as the 50th founding anniversary of ASEAN and 22 years since Vietnam officially joined the bloc will be celebrated.

He praised Vietnam's efforts in global integration, expanding markets, and promoting investment links and people-to-people exchanges.

Vietnam has made active and crucial contributions to building the ASEAN Community, as well as stepping up cooperation between ASEAN and large economies worldwide, he said.

Minh also pointed out the difficulties and challenges facing the bloc, saying that the talk themed "ASEAN's 50 years: ASEAN Economic Community and opportunities for Vietnamese business circle" aims to seek solutions to these problems.

Meanwhile, ERIA President Hidetoshi Nishimura pledged to continue supporting Vietnam in the process of regional and international integration, towards upholding Vietnam's role and position in the ASEAN Community.

(Source: NDO)