VietNamNet Bridge – One of the biggest successes of Viet Nam's chairmanship of ASEAN during the year was that the country had managed to shift the focus from words to work, a conference on ASEAN-EU relations heard last Friday.

Jointly organised by the Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam, an EU delegation, the Viet Nam office of Wallonia-Brussels and Brussels Free University's Institute of European Studies, the conference discussed matters of community building, bilateral relations between the two blocs and economic diplomacy, among others.

Belgian, Spanish and Hungarian diplomats joined their local colleagues to exchange experience on taking the helm of the respective blocs at a time when the three European countries are jointly in charge of the EU and Viet Nam is wrapping up its ASEAN chairmanship year.

"We managed to put forward the overall theme ‘From Vision to Actions' for our chairmanship year," said Tran Ngoc An, deputy head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' ASEAN Department.

He noted the bloc's frequency of high-level meetings to the effect that it actually ‘goes from meeting to meeting'.

"We set new agenda with focuses on improving implementation, supervision and monitoring within the bloc," he added.

During its chairmanship, the country worked hard with a connectivity agenda which was quite crucial for ASEAN integration and harmony given the wide gap between its member states.

The country took helm of ASEAN during a difficult year when the world economy was struggling to bounce back, and while tensions rose on the Korean Peninsula, the East Sea and between ASEAN member states like Thailand and Cambodia.

However, it managed to handle delicate issues that emerged during the year such as unrest in Thailand, the Myanmar elections and the sinking of South Korea's warship Cheonan.

He also cited a series of summits between ASEAN and major world powers in October in Ha Noi as testimonies to the country's successful chairmanship.

The country would continue with its commitments of peace and security in the region after its chairmanship was over at the end of the year, he said, noting that Viet Nam successfully held the first meeting of ASEAN defence ministers in October.

Viet Nam consulted with other member states to present a common position at the G20 and world nuclear summits in South Korea and the US respectively.

Professor Marianne Dony, president of Brussels Free University's Institute of European Studies, said that ASEAN could learn something from the EU's trio presidency, which was meant to replace a rotating single-country presidency.

"It's about continuity, not convergence of position," she said, explaining that Belgium, Spain and Hungary took turns to work and follow up on the same agenda while maintaining their different positions.

An said the European trio presidency model was once touched on by ASEAN leaders, and he personally thought that it was a good idea to ensure the continuity and effectiveness of the bloc.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News