The two-day 26th ASEAN Summit concluded on Langkawi island, Malaysia on April 27, adopting three key declarations.

They include the ‘Kuala Lumpur Declaration on a People-Oriented,People-Centred ASEAN”, the “Langkawi Declaration on the Global Movementof Moderates”, and the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on institutionalisingthe resilience of ASEAN and its peoples to disasters and climate change.

In his speech at the plenary session, PrimeMinister Nguyen Tan Dung said the formation of the ASEAN Community laterthis year is a historic milestone in the regional integration processand a result of continuous cooperation among its member states over thepast five decades, laying a solid foundation for regional development.

Vietnam has strived and achieved positive progressesin realising the Agenda for building the ASEAN Community whilefine-tuning regulations at home to deliver on ASEAN commitments, hesaid.

Underscoring the need to develop thepost-2015 ASEAN Community Vision, the PM also mentioned severalstrategic orientations to the vision and called for initiatives to boostsolidarity and central role of the ASEAN in maintaining peace, securityand development in the region, as well as its leading role in theevolving regional architecture and in the settlement of regional issues.

The PM stated that ASEAN needs to boost externalrelations by promoting dialogues and collaboration in effectively copingwith economic and security challenges, including non-traditionalsecurity.

Concerned about current activities on theEast Sea, he stressed the significance of abiding by self-restraintprinciple, not complicating the situation and settling disputes bypeaceful means in line with international law, including the 1982 UnitedNations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Declarationon the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), towards the earlyformulation of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).

Themed “Our People, Our Vision, Our Community”, the summit attractedleaders from 10 member states who hailed the completion of 93 percent ofrequired tasks to shape the ASEAN Community later this year.

They also called for accelerated efforts to work on the Master Plan onASEAN Connectivity and the Initiative for ASEAN Integration andNarrowing the Development Gap.

On the post-2015ASEAN Community Vision, leaders requested more specific goals anddevelopment orientations for the next decade.

Thehigh-level task force was asked to devise the draft vision to submit tothe 27th ASEAN Summit slated for this November for approval.

Participants also urged units concerned to act on recommendations bythe high-level task force on improving the capacity of the ASEANSecretariat and organs. They also agreed with Laos’ proposal to hold the28th and 29th ASEAN Summit in late 2016 before making a final decisionon the number of the ASEAN summits held annually.

They shared the view that ASEAN should continue deepening ties withpartners while reinforcing internal solidarity and improving theefficiency of existing frameworks and mechanisms in which it plays aleading role, contributing to regional peace, security, stability anddevelopment as well as effectively coping with traditional andnon-traditional security challenges.

In his openingremark, Malaysia Prime Minister Nazib Razak said respect tointernational law, including the 1982 UNCLOS must be a basis ofregulations on interfering in the East Sea activities.

As Chair of the ASEAN, Malaysia hopes that the region will make strides in achieving the COC soon, he said.-VNA