This message was emphasized by the head of the Vietnamese Government when he and other ASEAN and GCC leaders attended and spoke at the ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit, which took place on October 20 in Riyadh, the capital of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

This is the first Summit between ASEAN and the GCC, and is also a historic milestone, according to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh.

Propose 3 important directions

In a volatile world, the head of the Vietnamese Government believes that ASEAN and the GCC must adapt dynamically and join hands to foster the will to be self-reliant.

The two sides also need to unleash development resources, deploy practical and effective actions, with the highest political determination, and take drastic actions so that the cooperation process between the two regions can truly make a strong breakthrough, becoming a bright spot in regional and global cooperation.

Prime Minister and Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman welcomed Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and heads of delegations attending the Conference (Photo: Duong Giang).

From this perspective, the Vietnamese Prime Minister proposed three important orientations.

First of all, he said that ASEAN and the GCC must work together to create more favorable conditions for economy, trade and investment to become the main pillars and driving force connecting the two regions, complementing each other for mutual development and mutual victory.

"We need to have more open policies, open markets more strongly, remove barriers, and build sustainable supply chains to create conditions for investment funds and businesses from GCC countries to expand their business in ASEAN, and for goods and services from ASEAN countries to appear more and more in the Gulf region," according to the direction of the head of the Government.

The Prime Minister emphasized that ASEAN and Vietnam wish to work with the GCC to promote cooperation for the goal of greener and more sustainable development. Accordingly, the two sides need to prioritize cooperation in developing the green economy, digital economy, circular economy, sharing economy, sustainable agricultural development, energy transition, etc.

"We need to promote three connections: connecting people, culture, and labor; connecting trade, investment, and tourism; and connecting infrastructure, through strategic infrastructure investment," the Prime Minister emphasized.

Second, the Prime Minister said it is necessary to quickly institutionalize ASEAN - GCC cooperation through regular, substantive and effective cooperation mechanisms in each specific field.

Third, according to the Prime Minister, it is necessary to strengthen multilateral cooperation to jointly maintain a peaceful and stable environment for development.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the conference (Photo: Minh Thang).

The Prime Minister shared that ASEAN and the GCC, with their strengths as very successful regional organizations, need to support each other to promote their central roles and make practical contributions to peace, stability and development in the two regions and the world.

"We strongly oppose all acts of use of force and call on relevant parties to immediately end acts of violence against civilians, humanitarian facilities and essential infrastructure," the Vietnamese leader expressed his point of view.

According to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, only negotiation and settlement of disagreements through peaceful means is the only way to bring sustainable and long-lasting peace to the Middle East and all countries.

Promote dialogue and cooperation

This view was also mentioned by leaders of ASEAN and GCC countries at the conference.

The countries expressed concern over recent developments in the Gaza Strip, strongly condemned the violence against civilians, and called on all parties to immediately cease fire and end the use of force.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the Sultan of Brunei at the conference (Photo: ASEAN-GCC SUMMIT).

Leaders of ASEAN and GCC countries requested relevant parties to respect international humanitarian law, resume negotiations, and resolve disagreements through peaceful means, in order to achieve a fair, satisfactory, and long-term solution for the Middle East Peace Process, ensuring the lives, security, and safety of the people.

Also at the Conference, leaders of ASEAN and GCC countries agreed to maintain regular exchanges, including the plan to periodically organize ASEAN-GCC summits every two years.

This aims to consolidate and perfect cooperation mechanisms, while promoting equal and mutually beneficial cooperation, in order to effectively exploit the remaining large space and potential for cooperation between the two sides.

Overview of the first ASEAN-GCC Summit (Photo: ASEAN-GCC SUMMIT).

In addition, the leaders emphasized the need to focus on cooperation in the fields of economics, trade, investment, energy security, food, Halal industry, science, technology and innovation, tourism, labor cooperation, etc.

Faced with the current difficulties and complexities in the world and regional situation, the two sides agreed to strengthen multilateral cooperation, promote dialogue and cooperation, not interfere in each other's work, and join hands to solve regional and global challenges.

Cooperation between ASEAN and the GCC in 2022 continues to progress positively, with total trade turnover reaching 142.25 billion USD; foreign direct investment reaching 523.46 million USD, and the number of GCC tourists to the ASEAN region reaching more than 375,000 people.

Hoai Thu (From Riyadh, Saudi Arabia)

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