core sector communique

Viet Nam to Host its Final Summit as ASEAN Chair

ASEAN Secretariat, 22 October 2010

 

The 17th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits, which will be held in Ha Noi from 28 to 30 October, will once again convene Leaders from the ASEAN Member States to deliberate and take decisions on key ASEAN issues. The region’s Heads of State/Government will also meet their counterparts from the Dialogue Partners countries to review and set out future directions for further cooperation.

 

In the second and final Summit this year, one of the main agenda is the planned participation of Russia and the United States in the ASEAN-initiated East Asia Summit (EAS). The Leaders will review the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ earlier recommendations in July to formally welcome the two countries to join the ten ASEAN Member States, Australia, People’s Republic of China, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea and New Zealand in the grouping.

 

Another agenda lined up for this Summit is the adoption of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity, which will anchor the region’s bold and long-term strategy to improve the region’s physical, institutional and people-to-people connection.

 

This Summit will also host the first ASEAN-Australia Summit, which is expected to be co-chaired by the new Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard. The ASEAN-New Zealand Commemorative Summit will also be held to mark the 35th anniversary of friendship between ASEAN and New Zealand. ASEAN Leaders will also join bilateral meetings with each China, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Russia and the United Nations. The Leaders will also meet China, Japan and the Republic of Korea as a Plus Three group.

 

The ASEAN Charter stipulates that the ASEAN Summit Meetings shall be held twice annually, and be hosted by the Member States holding the ASEAN Chairmanship.

 

This Summit will be the last Summit hosted this year by Viet Nam, as the current ASEAN Chair, and mark the handover of the ASEAN Chairmanship to Indonesia. According to the ASEAN Charter, Brunei Darussalam would have succeeded the ASEAN Chairmanship in 2011 and Indonesia’s turn would be in 2013. But the ten ASEAN Leaders at the previous Summit in April had unanimously agreed to Indonesia’s request for the swap.