Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung left Hanoi on November 11 for Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, to attend the 25th ASEAN Summit and related meetings from November 12-13, at the invitation of Myanmar President Thein Sein.

His entourage included Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, Minister-Chairman of the Government Office Nguyen Van Nen, Deputy Foreign Minister Pham Quang Vinh, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Thang Hai, and Ambassador and Head of Vietnam Permanent Representative Mission to ASEAN Vu Dang Dung.

Vietnam’s participation in the event aims to make positive contributions to the solidarity and unity of the association, promoting the bloc’s central role in shaping the regional architecture, stepping up efforts toward the goal of establishing an ASEAN Community by 2015 and mapping out post-2015 orientations for the association.

Vietnam is also expected to contribute its opinions on other issues of common concern of the region.

Established in 1967, ASEAN, or the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, comprises ten members: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

VNA/VNN