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 At a two-day meeting in the central city of Danang, foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have approved a draft principle for a Protocol mechanism to solve disputes.

Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem said the protocol would make concrete Article 25 of the ASEAN Charter, which aims to build a mechanism to solve conflicts within ASEAN.

 Q: This is the first ministerial meeting of ASEAN in 2010, which sets directions for the year. How will this meeting plan for 2010, in your opinion?

Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem: That’s true. This is the first ministerial meeting in Vietnam’s ASEAN Chairmanship term 2010. Ministers have exchanged and set up priorities for ASEAN cooperation in the year.

ASEAN state members have expressed their agreement with Vietnam about the topic: “Looking forward with the ASEAN community: From vision to action” and agreed that ASEAN cooperation in 2010 will focus on the following fields: Promoting unity, strengthening ASEAN association; boosting the implementation of the itinerary to build the community and implement the ASEAN Charter; expanding and deepening the relations between ASEAN and its partners; strengthening cooperation inside and between ASEAN with outside to cope with global challenging; highlighting and advertising the images of ASEAN, maintaining the central role of ASEAN in the region.

These issues are the key orientations for ASEAN from now until 2015 and we are looking forward to building the ASEAN community.

 ASEAN countries agreed that 2010 should be a year of action to cement its frameworks and goals, comprising: the itinerary to build the ASEAN Community which was approved by ASEAN leaders at the ASEAN Summit in October 2009 and the ASEAN Charter, which took affect in December 2008.

ASEAN Ministers said that in 2010, besides promoting the implementation of programs in the itinerary to build the ASEAN Community and the ASEAN Charter, ASEAN needs to promote ideas to enhance regional association and cooperation.  These include transnational matters like disasters, climate change, economic recovery after crisis and focusing on the research of suitable ways to maintain the key role of ASEAN in the region and improve its position and voice at international forums like the United Nations and the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Q: Could you assess the major results of this meeting?

Khiem: The meeting also approved a number of documents and reached some notable results as follows:

- Implementing the initiative of ASEAN connections, which was approved at the 15th ASEAN Summit: Minister ratified regulations for the operation of the high-ranking group on ASEAN connections and released guidelines for this group.

Accordingly, ASEAN needs to firstly focus on connections within the association, particularly in the fields of infrastructure, transportation, telecommunications, information technology, free travel of the people, and favorable trade and then spread the connections to East Asia.

 The positive results of the trip by land of ASEAN Ministers from Thailand to Laos and Vietnam’s Lao Bao, Hue and Da Nang helped them experience the potential for transportation and infrastructure connection in the sub-Mekong Region.

Foreign Minsiters approved the principle for the draft protocol on the mechanism to solve disputes in ASEAN to put in place Article 25 of the ASEAN Charter where we look forward to building a common mechanism solving disputes for ASEAN. Notably, ASEAN has built arbitration regulations to solve conflicts, which are suitable to the ASEAN Charter.

- The conference also discussed directions to strengthen ties between ASEAN and its partners, including the organization of many important high-ranking conferences between ASEAN and partners, including the annual high-ranking meetings with China, Japan, South Korea, India and second high-ranking meetings with Russia and the US.

Partners, including big countries, are interested in promoting relations with ASEAN and show the role and contributions of ASEAN in regards to peace, stability, cooperation and development in Southeast Asia and Asia-Pacific as well as cooperation processes in the region.

Also at this meeting, Ministers agreed the appointment of Ambassadors to ASEAN of some countries, including Germany, Slovakia, Switzerland, Hungary, Pakistan and Morocco, raising the total number to nearly 40.

Ministers agreed to enhance ASEAN’s efforts in cope with emerging global challenges.

At this meeting, ASEAN Ministers also discussed climate change and measures to challenge natural disasters. They agreed that ASEAN needs to continue strengthening cooperation after the post-Copenhagen meeting on climate change.  This would mean effectively implementing the ASEAN Agreement on Coping with Natural Calamities and Disasters, which took effect last December as well as continuing to rebuild and repair the consequences of typhoon Nargis in Myanmar.

Ministers expressed their sympathy with the government and people of Haiti as a result of the recent earthquake.

 I would say that this conference was successful and a good start for ASEAN’s cooperation in Vietnam’s ASEAN Chairmanship 2010.

Q: Could you tell us more about Vietnam’s preparation for these meetings?

Khiem: We were prepared very early to assume the ASEAN Chairmanship, in 2009 and organize ASEAN meetings in Vietnam in 2010.

 On this occasion, with the combination and positive preparation of Danang, the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Danang succeeded in respect to its content, logistics, protocol and security and left a good impression on ASEAN countries.

 ASEAN Ministers have praised Vietnam’s thoughtful welcome and arrangements for the trip from the Lao Bao border gate through Hue to Danang to promote the idea of connection in ASEAN.

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