More than 200 delegates attend an international workshop opened in Hà Nội yesterday under the theme 'Sustaining Peace in time of Uncertainties: Towards Greater Regional Resilience and Responsiveness'. — Photo baoquocte.vn

HÀ NỘI — An international workshop opened in Hà Nội yesterday under the theme 'Sustaining Peace in time of Uncertainties: Towards Greater Regional Resilience and Responsiveness'.

The two-day event, held by the Diplomatic Academy of Việt Nam and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung foundation of Germany, is part of the 12th general conference of the Council for Security Co-operation in the Asia-Pacific (CSCAP). It has drawn more than 200 delegates, including some 100 foreign scholars and 35 diplomatic missions in Việt Nam.

The workshop takes place amidst changing and unpredictable international and regional situations, along with growing competition among superpowers in the region. It aims to be a platform for Vietnamese and foreign scholars and policy makers to assess challenges and opportunities for countries in maintaining a peaceful, stable and prosperous environment and promoting regional co-operation.

Addressing the seminar, CSCAP co-chairmen Prof. Anthony Milner and former ASEAN Secretary-General Ong Keng Yong said as the world is in a transitional period, countries should consolidate trust to cope with increasingly complex challenges.

Deputy Defence Minister of Malaysia Liew Chin Tong said amidst uncertainties in the region and fierce competition among superpowers, the role of middle powers and the centrality of ASEAN have become more important.

Meanwhile, Deputy Foreign Minister of Việt Nam Nguyễn Quốc Dũng said Asia-Pacific is the region with the most dynamic development in the world, but it is also experiencing traditional and non-traditional security issues, as well as growing competition among global superpowers.

In this context, regional countries should enhance co-operation and co-ordinate policies to deal with common challenges, Dũng said.

Multilateralism and the enhancement of co-operation in global and regional multilateral mechanisms have become the top priority in Việt Nam’s foreign policy, he said, noting that the country is committed to building a more cohesive and responsive ASEAN when it holds the bloc’s chairmanship in 2020.

As Việt Nam will also serve as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council for 2020-21, it vows to act as a bridge linking this global organisation with ASEAN, the diplomat added.

Thirty papers from scholars will be presented at the conference, divided into six sessions, including topics such as whether multilateralism is declining or whether the world is gravitating towards a rule-based order or a strength-based one. — VNS