Vietnam has stressed the importance of strategic trust and cooperation in maintaining peace, development, and prosperity in Asia.

Vietnam's President Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) and Ambassador Kairat Sarybay, Executive Director of the Secretariat of Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Hanoi on April 8. Photo: VNA

President Nguyen Xuan Phuc addressed the issue in a meeting in Hanoi on April 8 with Ambassador ko, Executive Director of the Secretariat of Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA).

President Phuc underlined that CICA has been unwaveringly committed to the principles of the UN Charter and has become mature and efficient enough over its 30-year history.

The president highlighted the role of the 27-member CICA which acts as a major forum for promoting trust in the region for the past decades as well as the role of Kazakhstan as the founder of CICA.

He said CICA needs to uphold its operating principles, including respect for sovereignty, mutual respect, non-threat or non-use force, peaceful settlement of disputes, non-interference in internal affairs, multilateral cooperation, and compliance with international law and the UN Charter.

He expected CICA to support the stance of ASEAN and Vietnam to ensure peace, safety, and freedom of navigation and overflight in the East Sea (referring to as the South China Sea), and settle disputes by peaceful means on the basis of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) 1982.

Phuc affirmed Vietnam’s independent diplomacy and continuous contributions to CICA activities with a focus on economic ties, trade, agriculture, tourism, and environmental protection.

He said Vietnam will substantively contribute to the success of CICA’s 6th Summit scheduled in October 2022 in Kazakhstan.

For his part, Ambassador Kairat Sarybay said CICA needs a new vision and approach to ensure security and development in the region with significant contributions from Vietnam.

On this occasion, the CICA Executive Director also delivered a letter from Kazakh President Kassym Jomart Tokayev inviting President Nguyen Xuan Phuc to attend the CICA Summit in Kazakhstan in October 2022.

CICA, a multi-national forum of 27 members, 9 observer states, and five observer organizations, is currently chaired by Kazakhstan. It aimed to enhance cooperation towards promoting peace, security and stability in Asia. It is a forum based on the recognition that there is a close link between peace, security and stability in Asia and in the rest of the world.

The key idea of the conference is based on the priority of the indivisibility of security, joint initiative and mutually beneficial interaction of small and large states.