While in Brunei from October 8-10, apart from the 23 rd ASEAN Summit, the Prime Minister attended related meetings, including the ASEAN+1, ASEAN+3, and the East Asia Summit (EAS). He also had bilateral meetings with Myanmar President Thein Sein, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, Philippine President Benigno Aquino and US Secretary of State John Kerry.

He delivered a speech at the 23rd ASEAN Summit, highlighting priorities, viewpoints and orientations related to building the ASEAN Community by 2015 and the Community’s vision beyond 2015, the key role and external relations of the bloc, and international and regional issues.

Along with other ASEAN member countries over the past year, Viet Nam has been proactive and responsible in the group’s common work, contributing to building and consolidating unanimity in the association, Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh told reporters.

“This is an outstanding feature of ASEAN over the past year,” he affirmed, adding that the group made a number of important decisions for 2013 and outlined orientations for its future development.

Joining hands with other ASEAN countries, Viet Nam proposed to build and adopt action programmes and orientations to build the community and promote ASEAN’s key role, especially the ASEAN Vision beyond 2015.

The association enhanced links and connectivity, ensuring sustainable and equal development in the region, made contributions to peace, security and development in the region, and effectively responded to challenges such as climate change, natural disasters, epidemics, terrorism and transnational crime.

Viet Nam has played an active part in expanding external relations and promoting the group’s key position in the evolving regional architecture for peace, security and development. It has played a pivotal role in expanding links and connectivity in East Asia and enhanced cooperation to effectively respond to challenges such as natural disasters, climate change, food and energy security and the sustainable use of water resources in the region, including the Sub-Mekong region.

The Vietnamese delegation to the summit heightened the building of strategic trust, international law compliance, commitment fulfillment and harmony combination of national and regional interests, for peace, security, stability and prosperity in the region.

“We had an important part in raising the group’s role and positive contributions to ensure an environment of peace and security in the region, including the East Sea issue,” the Foreign Minister said.

Vietnam and other ASEAN countries consistently support the principles set by ASEAN, maintaining solidarity for the group’s unanimity to raise a common and decisive voice on peace, stability, security and maritime safety in the East Sea.

They stressed the settlement of disputes through peaceful measures, respect for international law, especially the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, the full implementation of the Declaration of the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) along with the acceleration of an early conclusion of Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).