(VOVworld) - Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung is to attend the 21^st ASEAN summit and related summits in Phnom Penh, Cambodia from November 17 to 20. VOV reporter Anh Huyen sheds light on Vietnam’s contributions to the ASEAN summit.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung (Source: VNA)

The 21^st summit of the South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) is the last important event of the bloc under Cambodia’s chairmanship. This is an opportunity for ASEAN leaders to reach consensus on important contents discussed over the year, confirm their determination to boost the implementation of the roadmap to an ASEAN Community, and reinforce the bloc’s relations with its partners while fostering its central role in a changing world.

Under the yearly theme “ASEAN: one community, one destiny”, the 21^st ASEAN summit and related summits will focus on boosting the establishment of a community and building a regional structure suitable to the interest of its member countries. In addition, the summits will seek to expand and strengthen ASEAN’s connectivity with its partners and future orientation for the ASEAN + 1, ASEAN + 3, and the East Asia Summit (AES).

The summit will be attended by leaders of 10 ASEAN member countries, the US, Japan, China, and India.

During its 45 years of development, ASEAN has become an indispensable partner of the world’s powers and an important catalyst to connect and harmonize overlapping interests toward common targets of maintaining peace and stability for prosperous development.

Being a member of ASEAN for 17 years, Vietnam has insisted that ASEAN cooperation is an important component in its external policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification, and multi-lateralization of relations and regional and global integration. Deputy Foreign Minister, Pham Quang Vinh, says: "We join ASEAN with a guideline of being active, positive, and responsible and deem a united, strong ASEAN our strategic interests. Our foundation is the external policy of independence and self-reliance for regional peace, security, and development, and diversification of relations for national and regional interests. I stress the association of national and ASEAN interests as we are striving for a common target."

At the 21^st summit, Vietnam advocates a strong and united ASEAN with an important role in the region, helping to ensure a peaceful, secure, stable, and cooperative environment. Vietnam takes advantage ASEAN forums for national construction and development. Vietnam actively contributes to issues of ASEAN and Vietnam’s common concerns, aiming to elevate the country’s status worldwide and enhancing bilateral ties with its partners. Luong Thanh Nghi is the spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "Being an active, positive and responsible member, Vietnam has worked with other ASEAN countries to strengthen and maintain the bloc’s principles and its central role in regional processes for peace, security, stability, cooperation and development,"says Nghi.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung is scheduled to attend the opening, plenary, and closing sessions, a conference between ASEAN leaders and the Consultative Council, ASEAN + China, ASEAN + US, and East Asia Summits.

Anh Huyen