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Q1. What will be Vietnam’s agenda as ASEAN Chair at the forthcoming meeting of
ASEAN Foreign Ministers?
ANSWER: ASEAN Senior Officials will meet to prepare for the follow-on ASEAN Foreign
Ministers Retreat to be held during 15-17 January. Vietnam needs to prepare for two
broad sets of issues.
First, Vietnam will need to brief other ASEAN members on its five priorities under the
theme Cohesive and Responsive: (1) strengthening of ASEAN unity and solidarity, (2)
intensifying ASEAN’s economic integration and connectivity, (3) promoting ASEAN
identity and awareness, (4) enhancing ASEAN’s global partnership for peace, stability
and sustainable development, and (5) increasing ASEAN’s institutional capacity and
effectiveness.
Second, Vietnam will need to ensure continuity with policies reached under the
chairmanship of Thailand. This means following up on the following sets of issues: (1)
ASEAN Community-building, ASEAN Connectivity, ASEAN Integration, Regional
Comprehensive Economic Partnership, and ASEAN Single Window to promote cross-
border trade (2) strengthening relations with ASEAN dialogue partners, especially the
ASEAN-EU Strategic Partnership (3) follow up on humanitarian situation in Myanmar
(4) Indo-Pacific Outlook and ASEAN centrality in the regional architecture and (5)
various issues and concerns about recent developments in the South China Sea.
Q2. What are the issues that ASEAN members will raise at ASEAN meetings this year –
domestic issues in Myanmar, Indonesia and Malaysia and the South China Sea?
ANSWER: For the first quarter of 2020 (January to March), ASEAN members will be
focused on the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Retreat and preparations for the 53rd ASEAN
Ministerial Meeting and the 36th ASEAN Summit scheduled to be held from 6-8 April.
The issue of the Rohingya people in Rakhine State in Myanmar will feature
prominently. Myanmar will give a briefing to ASEAN members at the Foreign Ministers
Retreat on developments since last year. A key issue is the continuing role of ASEAN’s
Secretary General in the Needs Assessment Mission and the voluntary return of
displaced persons.
It is unlikely that specific internal issues in Indonesia and Malaysia will be raised.
Human rights will be discussed at the thirtieth meeting of the ASEAN
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These consultations should be aimed at developing new thinking on old issues in order
to ensure that ASEAN legacy programs inherited from Thailand are implemented.
Vietnam cannot hope to achieve all its objectives in one year. It thus has to lay the
foundation for its current priorities to take root and develop under subsequent ASEAN
Chairs.
Finally, and most important, Vietnam needs to provide proactive leadership to reach
its objectives by building consensus.