The 37th ASEAN Summit and other related summits and high-level meetings will take place from November 12 to 15 in Hà Nội, with Việt Nam chairing all of them online.
The event is considered the most important of the year for the country since it would be decisive in its success as chairmanship of the bloc for 2020.
Amid the unprecedented challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, Việt Nam, as ASEAN Chair 2020, has spared no effort to organise a successful summit and related meetings, showing that a united ASEAN is overcoming the challenges posed by the pandemic.
The country has focused on community building, accomplishing the bloc’s priorities and initiatives and fostering external relations.
At an ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting held online on October 7, participants applauded the progress made by Việt Nam in implementing the priorities and initiatives of ASEAN 2020 as well as initiatives in response to the pandemic.
ASEAN has completed initiatives in 2020 on schedule following a road map set earlier, including mid-term evaluation of the ASEAN Community Vision towards 2025, reviewing implementation of the ASEAN Charter, issuing the Hà Nội Declaration on the ASEAN Community Vision towards 2025, incorporating sub-regional development with a common road map for building the ASEAN Community with the aim of sustainable development and promoting the image, awareness and recognition of the ASEAN Community.
The meeting reiterated the bloc’s stance on the East Sea issue, affirming the importance of maintaining and promoting peace, security and freedom in the East Sea to promptly complete negotiations for an effective Code of Conduct in the East Sea, which is in accordance with international law, including the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
At the ASEAN – United Nations Ministerial Meeting on October 21, the president of the 75th Session of the UN General Assembly, Volkan Bozkir, and the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, emphasised that ASEAN is an indispensable partner.
The UN also hailed Vietnam’s role in rallying and leading efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and step up ASEAN Community building in its capacity as the ASEAN Chair.
Other than the main summit, there will be also ASEAN+1 summits with China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, India, the US, Australia, and the United Nations, the ASEAN-New Zealand leaders’ summit to commemorate 45 years of partnership, the 15th East Asia Summit, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership summit, the Mekong-Japan and Mekong-RoK summits, the 10th Cambodia-Laos-Myanmar-Việt Nam Summit, and the 11th Cambodia-Laos-Việt Nam Development Triangle Area summit.
On the sidelines of the 37th ASEAN Summit, the first ASEAN women leaders’ summit, the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit and the East Asia Business Council Meeting will also be held.
ASEAN and its partners will discuss the ASEAN Community building process, completion of priorities and initiatives in 2020 and fostering relations.
ASEAN leaders will discuss issues of regional and global concern and how to uphold ASEAN’s centrality in the post-COVID-19 world.
