Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Ha Noi, May 16 (VNA) -- Deputy foreign ministers from ten member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) met in Ha Noi on May 15 and 16 to discuss preparations for the upcoming regional conferences.

Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Le Cong Phung chaired the meeting.

Discussions focused on the 34th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM 34), the eighth ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF 8), and the Post Ministerial Conference with ASEAN dialogue partners (PMC), scheduled to be held in Ha Noi in July.

The participants agreed to the topic of the AMM 34 being "Stability, solidarity, boosting economic alliance and expanding external cooperation" They gave opinions about a draft Ha Noi joint declaration on ASEAN's joint efforts to narrow the development gap for a dynamic and sustainable growth, and a draft AMM 34 joint communique to be submitted to ASEAN foreign ministers. They discussed a report on mid-term review of the Ha Noi Plan of Action to be submitted to the seventh ASEAN Summit in Brunei in November.

They also passed an agenda for the July conferences and agreed to invite the UN Development Programme (UNDP) to the PMC+10 to boost relations between ASEAN and the UN and to accelerate UNDP projects in the region.

Participants in the meeting discussed measures for early implementation of decisions made at the AMM Retreat in Myanmar on April 30 to enhance ASEAN cooperation, narrow development gap, and support new ASEAN members, particularly in development of infrastructures, human resources and information technology.

Also discussed were preparations for the ARF Senior Officials Meeting (ARF-SOM), due to be held on May 17 and 18; the East Asia Study Group (EASG) meeting, and the ASEAN+3 meeting between Deputy foreign ministers of ASEAN countries with China, Japan and the Republic of Korea on May 19; and the direct dialogue between ASEAN countries with five nuclear powers, China, Russia, the UK, France, and the U.S., also on May 19.--VNA