43rd ASEAN Summit opens in Jakarta

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (fifth from left) (Photo: VNA)

Themed “ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth”, the events are attracting the participation of leaders of 10 ASEAN member states, and Timor-Leste as an observer, and nine dialogue partners, two guest countries, and nine international organisations.

The Vietnamese delegation to the events is led by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

Held from September 5-7 with 12 high-level meetings, the 43rd ASEAN Summit will focus on four main pillars, including upholding the long-term vision of the region, strengthening ASEAN’s resilience in facing the challenges, promoting ASEAN as a centre of economic growth, and making the Indo-Pacific a region of peace and prosperity.

A new regional cooperation platform called ASEAN Concord IV is expected to be approved this time.

The initiative for ASEAN Concord IV has been put forward by the current chair, Indonesia, and is expected to serve as the foundation for ASEAN Community's Vision 2045 while strengthening the regional bloc's ability to address future challenges.

Also at the opening session, President Widodo bestowed bestowed the ASEAN Prize trophy to two recipients. Nguyen Thi Tuyet Minh, a regional advocate on women’s socio-economic empowerment from Vietnam, is among the two recipients. Minh, who is founding chair of the ASEAN Women Entrepreneurs Network (AWEN), is the first Vietnamese and fourth individual in ASEAN to receive the prize.

Following the opening session, PM Chinh and other ASEAN leaders attended the plenary session./.

VNA