In his opening speech, the host PM Lee Hsien Loong asserted that, over the past four decades since the signing of the Bangkok Declaration, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has passed a long path. “At present, the trans-ASEAN cooperation has expanded to various fields and ASEAN was recognized as a stable regional organization and an indispensable part of the region and the world”, he emphasized.

The Singaporean PM also urged ASEAN to speed up its integration and strengthen its links to economic giants in the region and the world.

He expressed his confidence that ASEAN leaders would share their views on a new ASEAN and pledge to put these new prospects into reality.

The ASEAN leaders approved the Draft to accelerate the formation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and signed the Declaration on the Draft, confirming their determination to build the Community on schedule. The leaders agreed that the narrowing of development gaps remains an important task to facilitate the Association’s integration and unity.

Regarding global issues such as energy, environment, climatic changes and sustainable development, the ASEAN leaders spent time to discuss orientations and solutions to consolidate the internal cooperation as well as extend cooperation with dialogue partners to prevent and deal with natural disasters, protect environment and promote sustainable development.

The leaders also mentioned measures to deepen the multifaceted cooperation between ASEAN and dialogue partners by speeding up and effectively realizing agreements on partnership and comprehensive cooperation, focusing on economic-trade ties and cooperation for development through establishing free trade areas (FTA). The leaders affirmed that ASEAN should continue to maintain its essential role in regional cooperation processes, especially ASEAN+3, East Asia Summit (EAS) and ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), and closely collaborate each other on other regional and international forums, such as ASEM, APEC, and UN.

In the afternoon of the day, PM Nguyễn Tấn Dũng, Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong, Brunei Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, Filippino President G. M. Arroyo, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Malaysian PM Abdullah Haji Ahmad Badawi, Thai PM Surayud Chulanont, Lao PM Bouasone Bouphavanh, Cambodian PM Hunsen, and Myanmar PM Thein Sein signed the ASEAN Charter and other important documents.

The ASEAN Charter consists of 13 chapters, 55 articles and four appendices stipulating ASEAN’s targets, principles, organizational structure, decision-making form, methods to deal with disputes, financial regime–budget, and external relations.

After the signing ceremony, the ASEAN leaders also signed a Joint Declaration confirming their political determination to ratify and put the Charter into effect soon.

Addressing the Summit, PM Nguyễn Tấn Dũng lauded the ASEAN’s signing of the Charter, considering it an important milestone in the Association’s development in laying a legal framework and institutional foundation for ASEAN’s solidarity, unity and internal cooperation in order to found the ASEAN Community by 2015. He confirmed that Việt Nam would fulfill necessary procedures to approve the Charter. He agreed that, in the coming time, ASEAN should promote its efforts to build up the ASEAN Community with three pillars of politics-security, economy, and socio-culture.

By Xuân Hồng