Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh met with his counterparts from New Zealand, the US, China and the High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on August 7 as part of the 50th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and related meetings (AMM 50).

Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh (L) and his New Zealand counterpart Gerry Brownlee

During the meetings, the officials discussed bilateral cooperation and international and regional issues of common interest.

Vietnam and the nations agreed to deepen cooperation, maintain high-level contacts and delegation exchanges, strengthen people-to-people exchanges and enhance the effectiveness of cooperation mechanisms.

The Vietnamese FM called on the countries and the EU to help Vietnam’s goods enter their markets.

Regarding international and regional issues, the ministers affirmed the central role of ASEAN in the region, and agreed to work together on security issues, including terrorism, the situation on the Korean peninsula and the East Sea issues on the basis of international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea and support ASEAN and China to negotiate a Code of Conduct in the East Sea.

The ministers reiterated their commitment to work with Vietnam in organising the APEC Year 2017, in particular the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week in Da Nang in November.

VNA