ASEAN grants UK ‘dialogue partner’ status

At the event (Photo: laodong.vn)

Hanoi – The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on August 5 granted the UK the formal status of Dialogue Partner at a ceremony held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brunei, which is the current Chair of ASEAN.

Vietnamese Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son attended the event, which was the result of the consultation process inside ASEAN and between ASEAN and the UK since 2020, demonstrating the bloc’s positive and open external relations.

Speaking at the ceremony, the Brunei Minister of Foreign Affairs appreciated the UK’s commitments and potential for cooperation across all aspects of politics-security, economy, and society-culture.

ASEAN expects that with its new status, the UK will use its role and strength to promote substantial development of the ASEAN-UK ties in contribution to peace, security, stability, and prosperity in the region, the diplomat stated.

UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab affirmed ASEAN and the Southeast Asia have an important position in the UK’s global external relations policy. The UK highly evaluates ASEAN’s centrality in the regional structure, he added.

He listed cooperation priorities between the two sides in the time to come, including economic collaboration, green growth promotion and sustainable infrastructure.

The UK is willing to step up joint work with the bloc in responding to and controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, to supply vaccines for ASEAN, and to help the bloc boost its capacity for preventive medicine, the official said.

Highlighting marine cooperation between the sides, he stated the UK will join ASEAN in enhancing maritime law enforcement capacity to contribute to upholding the value and role of international law, especially the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).