Representatives of ASEAN countries attend the 57th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting. Photo: VOV-Vientiane

In his address, Deputy FM Viet stressed the importance of ASEAN connectivity, a community-wide approach, the expansion of agenda connectivity, the need to align sub-regional cooperation with ASEAN's overall progress to help sub-regions optimise their development potential and leverage new growth drivers. In its relations with partners, the bloc should request countries to respect its central role both in words and actions, ensuring effective and meaningful cooperation, he said.

The Deputy FM reaffirmed ASEAN's principled stance on global and regional issues, and laid stress on the necessity of adhering to and fully and effectively implementing all provisions of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), and at the same time creating an environment conducive to negotiations on a quality, substantive and effective Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC) in line with international law and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (UNCLOS).