Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, his spouse, and a Vietnamese high-ranking delegation arrived in Hanoi on April 30^th morning after participating in the 30^th ASEAN Summit, which took place in Manila, the Philippines, from April 28^th-29^th.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc at the 30^th ASEAN Summit in Manila, Philippines. (Source: VNA)

Themed “Partnering for Change, Engaging the World”, the two-day summit was the first of numerous activities celebrating the 50^th founding anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (1967 – 2017).

PM Phuc and leaders of other ASEAN countries mapped out orientations for the building of the ASEAN Community as well as discussed measures to promote external relations and the central role of the group.

They also discussed regional and international issues of mutual concerns and advocated cooperation priorities proposed by the host Philippines in 2017.

Addressing a plenary session of the summit, PM Phuc urged ASEAN to place a high premium on ensuring benefits of people and building a people-centered community while improving the association’s operational efficiency and strengthening intra-bloc solidarity, cooperation and regional connectivity.

The PM also had bilateral meetings with Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, Brunei Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah, Thailand’s Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Najib Razak, and Myanmar state counsellor and Foreign Minister Aung San Suu Kyi, to seek measures to bolster bilateral collaboration./.

VNF/VNA