The 19 th ASEAN Summit concluded successfully with active participation and support of member countries and its partners, affirmed Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
In his closing speech, the Indonesian President, who is ASEAN Chair 2011, said results of the 19 th ASEAN Summit and related summits, as well as of the year of ASEAN Chair by Indonesia contributed to tightening solidarity, friendship and cooperation in ASEAN and between ASEAN and its partners.

Those achievements were important steps in the progress to build an ASEAN Community of solidarity and strength by 2015 with an increasingly active and effective involvement of the people in striving for common targets to turn Southeast Asia into a region of security, peace, harmonisation and prosperity.

President Susilo Bambang Yuhoyono stressed that ASEAN position and role has been rising both in the region and in the settlement of regional and global issues.

At the summit, ASEAN leaders stressed high political determination and the allocation of necessary resources to implement on schedule the process to build the ASEAN Community on three pillars.

ASEAN leaders also stressed the fully implementation of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity, which is important in the process to build a consolidated ASEAN Community by 2015, considering it a leading priority in the cooperation within ASEAN and between ASEAN and its partners.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung asked ASEAN to continue boosting cooperation and proper investment in such fields as narrowing the gap of development, promoting security, energy, and food security as well as boosting cooperation to effectively deal with emerging challenges, namely climate change, maritime security, environment, the sustainable use of water sources of rivers, especially the Mekong river to contributing to sustainable and uniform development in the region.

PM Dung stressed that ASEAN needs to uphold its pro-active role in building cooperation frameworks and standards of conducts in the region for peace and building trust and development cooperation, and continue bringing into play the role and value of existing forums and mechanisms for peace and security in the region.

On this occasion, the Indonesian President transferred the ASEAN Chair 2012 to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who affirmed Cambodia will do its utmost to fulfill the role of ASEAN Chair and expressed his wish to receive support and assistance from other ASEAN members and partners in 2012.

Chair statement focuses on community building

Indonesia, which holds the chairmanship of ASEAN in 2011, issued a statement yesterday, following discussions within the 19th ASEAN Summit and related summits.

The statement mentioned important, fundamental and updated contents on the orientations, commitments and measures to continue building the ASEAN Community; enhancing ASEAN connectivity; implementing the ASEAN charter; promoting ASEAN's role in the regional architecture, fostering ASEAN's external relations; and building an ASEAN community in a global community of nations as well as other regional and international issues of mutual concern.

Regarding the East Sea issue, the statement stated that ASEAN leaders reiterated the importance of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) to promote peace, stability and mutual trust and ensure peaceful solutions in dealing with regional disputes in accordance with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

The statement also stressed the necessity to make more efforts to ensure the efficient and full implementation of the DOC towards the completion of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).

According to the statement, ASEAN leaders welcomed ASEAN and China's finalisation of the guidelines for DOC implementation at the 44th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting and the 18th ASEAN Regional Forum in Bali in July 2011.

The leaders expressed their belief that with the guidelines, ASEAN and China will work together to fully and efficiently implement the DOC through the consideration of joint activities and projects for mutual benefit.

The leaders also welcomed the next consultative meetings between ASEAN and China's senior officials on the DOC.

The leaders applauded the commencement of the discussion process in ASEAN in order to determine the COC's major factors, and expressed their hope that China would join the process at a suitable time.

ASEAN leaders acknowledged the co-operative processes and forms using the second channel, including seminars on the management of potential conflicts in the East Sea, and recognised the initiatives on a Zone of Peace, Freedom, Friendship and Co-operation.

As for Mekong River issues, the leaders said they were deeply aware of the importance of increasing the stability of water sources in the region to ensure regional people's interests, including those living on the riverbanks and in riverside countries.

They also agreed to increase their efforts to bolster the sustainable use and management of water sources in the region.

PM Dung active

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung yesterday attended the ASEAN+3 Summit, three ASEAN+1 meetings with China, Japan and South Korea, and the Mekong-Japan Summit within the framework of the 19th ASEAN Summit.

At the ASEAN+3 Summit, leaders of ASEAN, China, Japan and the Republic of Korea (RoK) spoke highly of progress in ASEAN+3 co-operation, including the implementation of the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralisation Agreement, the ASEAN+3 Urgent Rice Fund Agreement and the East Asia Vision Group II and co-operative programmes on transnational crime control, climate change, infectious disease epidemics and cultural exchange.

On the orientation for co-operation, the leaders agreed to focus on the implementation of ASEAN+3 co-operative programmes for 2007-17, increase financial and monetary co-operation, trade, investment and promotion of East Asia linkage on the basis of implementation of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity and boost co-operation to respond to non-traditional challenges.

PM Dung made contributions to the ASEAN+3 co-operative process, proposing to focus sources to carry out the 2007-17 co-operative plan, ensure the roadmap of free trade agreements between ASEAN and China, Japan and the Republic of Korea and conduct a feasibility study on the establishment of the East Asian Free Trade Area.

He also proposed the joint organisation of celebrations for the 15th anniversary of ASEAN+3 dialogue ties in 2012.

At the Mekong-Japan Summit, Prime Minister Dung and leaders of Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand and Japan highlighted outcomes in implementing action programme 63, Mekong-Japan economic and industrial co-operation initiatives and the Mekong Green Decade as well as specific projects and actions on infrastructure development in the East-West Economic Corridor, the Southern Economic Corridor, construction of seaports and airports in the Mekong River basin countries, environmental protection, response to climate change and human-resource training.

The leaders agreed to build new co-operative pillars for the 2013-15 period instead of action programme 63, increase co-operation in socio-economic development and environmental protection to promote sustainable development, use, protection and management of Mekong River water for comprehensive, equal and sustainable development in the Mekong region, contributing to the building of the ASEAN Community and development in the region.

PM Dung urged the two sides to focus on five key areas, including ASEAN connectivity environment co-operation, public-private partnership co-operation, human security and health for mothers and children.

He said Viet Nam highly valued Japan's efforts and ambition in becoming a permanent member of the UN Security Council if the agency was expanded.

On co-operation on environment and water management, PM Dung stressed the importance of the Mekong River in socio-economic development of all sub-regional countries, saying that co-ordination among Mekong River countries to study and assess impacts on habitat was urgent and important.

Before having decisions on construction of hydro-power projects on the Mekong River's main stream, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Viet Nam agreed to ask Japan to assist the project to study and assess environmental impacts.

On the sidelines, the Vietnamese PM met Thai PM Yingluck Shinawatra to compare notes on bilateral relations and international and regional issues.

The two leaders agreed to increase commercial ties, particularly those involving rice exports, by arranging a joint cabinet meeting.

Dung proposed that both countries and related parties within the Mekong River Commission (MRC) closely co-operate in the sustainable use of Mekong River water resources for all regional nations.

The Thai PM said she would visit Viet Nam in the future.

VNA/VNS