Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyễn Quốc Dũng chairs an online meeting of ASEAN senior officials on Tuesday. — VNA/VNS Photo Lâm Khánh

HÀ NỘI — Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyễn Quốc Dũng, head of Việt Nam’s ASEAN Senior Officials' Meeting (ASEAN SOM), chaired a virtual meeting of the bloc's senior officials regarding external relations on Tuesday.

During the meeting, the officials lauded Việt Nam’s initiative to organise the meeting, which gave participants a chance to share opinions on ASEAN’s foreign relations and build a common strategic, comprehensive and effective approach to the implementation of ASEAN's external affairs amidst the rapidly changing and complicated situation in the region and the world.

They underlined that in relations with all partners, ASEAN’s central role must be placed at the top through positive, active and balanced engagement.

The officials agreed it was time for the association to review its relations with outside partners, focusing on evaluating the contributions of partners to the completion of the region’s goals.

They also agreed to review the criteria for the recognition of ASEAN’s partners, thus ensuring the bloc’s central role and meeting the demands and interests of its partners.

Dũng affirmed the significant role of partners in building peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

He stressed the urgent need to build regulations to recognise partnership relations, which he said once again showed the active responsiveness of ASEAN.

The deputy foreign minister also called on member countries to promptly complete criteria for the evaluation of external relations to submit to ASEAN leaders. — VNS