Leaders from ASEAN and Australia posed for a photo on March 6. Andrew Taylor, ASEAN
The leaders of the ASEAN bloc and Australia have issued a joint vision statement, reiterating their commitment to maintaining peace and stability while strengthening cooperation on regional development and prosperity.
The commitment was made during the ASEAN-Australia Special Summit to commemorate the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-Australia dialogue relations, held Melbourne, Australia, on March 6.
“We will continue to work together to contribute to the maintenance of peace and stability, as well as to enhance cooperation for sustainable development and prosperity in the region, particularly in support of the ASEAN community-building and integration process,” said the ASEAN-Australia leaders’ joint vision statement
The two sides vowed to continue to promote a rules-based regional architecture that upholds international law, with ASEAN at the centre, as well as to maintain respectful, stable and peaceful relations between states.
“We will promote strategic trust and ensure transparent, predictable and responsible behaviour. We will foster closer and more productive cooperation and engagements through ASEAN-led mechanisms and other relevant regional and multilateral institutions,” added the statement.
The regional bloc and Australia also pledged to work together to promote open communication and dialogue within ASEAN-led mechanisms, enhance mutual understanding, reduce the risks of miscalculation and prevent conflict, while also continuing to emphasise and reinforce ASEAN’s integral role as the region’s leading convener for strategic dialogue.
“As we look to the next 50 years, we look forward to enhancing our partnership, which has significantly contributed to the peace, security, stability and prosperity of our region.
“We are excited by the opportunities ahead for our region and look forward to embracing these together,” said the leaders.
They reaffirmed their steadfast commitment to a comprehensive strategic partnership that is substantive, meaningful and mutually beneficial, based on friendship, mutual trust, shared interests and a positive vision for their region’s future.
They said ASEAN and Australia vowed to build on their strong history of cooperation and partnership over the last 50 years, adding that strong people-to-people ties will remain a foundation of their partnership.
“We will continue to reinforce the economic architecture, which has transformed our region, elevated the living standards of our peoples and continues to support our prosperity. We will work to enhance regional connectivity towards a sustainable future, and seek to accelerate human resource development to be more competitive, agile and resilient.
“Together we will tackle common global challenges, including climate change and biodiversity loss, marine plastic debris, natural disasters, food and energy security, sustainable water resources management, poverty, pandemics, transnational crimes, and sustainable development, by sharing inclusive and equitable solutions to assure the well-being and resilience of our communities,” they declared.
To ensure continued sustainable growth and prosperity, the bloc and Australia vowed to work together to promote an open, inclusive and transparent rules-based regional architecture in the Indo-Pacific region, in which ASEAN is central, and where the objectives and principles of the UN and ASEAN charters, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP) are respected and upheld.
“We want a region where sovereignty and territorial integrity is respected. We strive for a region where differences are managed through respectful dialogue, not the threat or use of force.
“We seek a region where disputes are settled peacefully in accordance with the universally recognised principles of international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea [UNCLOS],” they added.
Separately, Prime Minister Hun Manet and his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh met for bilateral talks on March 6.
The two sides discussed strengthening and expanding cooperation in the fields of defence and security, as well as tourism and infrastructure connectivity.
According to Manet’s social media post, during the meeting, Minh Chinh congratulated Cambodia on the “success” of the 5th Senate election held on February 25, as well as offering his congratulations to the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) for winning 55 of the 58 available seats in the election.
“During the meeting, the two leaders discussed key areas for further cooperation between Cambodia and Vietnam, including defence and security, as well as tourism and infrastructural connectivity, such as through the Phnom Penh-Bavet-Ho Chi Minh Expressway,” the post said.
Within the framework of the Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam (CLV) tripartite cooperation, the two leaders explained that the 12th CLV summit will be held in the coming days, and encouraged all relevant ministries and institutions to expand their cooperation within the CLV framework.
In the field of tourism, Manet and his counterpart also agreed that their respective tourism ministries should increase talks and seek opportunities to boost tourism growth within the three neighbours. The two leaders also discussed a number of issues of common interest to Cambodia and Vietnam.
