Vientiane (VNA) – External partners put forth measures to strengthen cooperation with ASEAN in various fields during the ASEAN+1 Summits with the Republic of Korea (RoK), Australia and the United Nation, ASEAN+3 Summit, and Mekong-Japan Summit, held in Vientiane, Laos, on September 7.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc led a Vietnamese delegation to attend the event.
ASEAN countries suggested partners improve efficiency of existing cooperation mechanisms and assist the association in developing human resources, narrowing development gaps, and coping with trans-national challenges for regional peace, stability and prosperity.
At the ASEAN-RoK Summit, the two sides hailed the initial outcomes in implementing the ASEAN-RoK Action Plan in 2016-2020.
The RoK continues to be one of the important trade and investment partners of ASEAN with two-way trade surpassing 122 billion USD and foreign direct investment (FDI) of nearly 6 billion USD in 2015.
Both sides agreed to continue implementing effectively the ASEAN-RoK free trade agreement while optimising advantages and strength of the ASEAN Economic Community to achieve the target of bringing bilateral trade to 200 billion USD in 2020.
RoK’s President Park Geun-hye noted that the ASEAN Culture House will be put into operation in 2017 in Busan city to increase mutual understanding and cultural exchanges.
The two sides’ leaders agreed to choose 2017 as the year for ASEAN-RoK cultural cooperation, and they welcomed the establishment of the ASEAN-RoK Innovative Centre.
They also agreed to boost cooperation in infrastructure connectivity, forestation, education, information technology, developing micro, small- and medium-sized enterprises and increasing the involvement of private sector.
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