​Jakarta (VNA) – ASEANSecretary General Le Luong Minh has highlighted achievements that the ASEAN Communityhas scored after one year of its establishment in an interview recently grantedto Vietnam News Agency.

During the first year of its formation,the ASEAN Community adopted a series of measures to strengthen the community acrossall the three pillars, he said.

The Political-Security Communityhas implemented 165 out of 290 action lines while the Economic Community hasbuilt and adopted specific action plans for most sectors, including tradepromotion, food security, business start-ups, development of small andmedium-sized enterprises, cooperation among special economic zones,transparency in tariff lines, and the settlement of complaints regarding trans-borderissues in the implementation of ASEAN economic deals.

The Socio-Cultural Community has adopteddetailed working plans across the fields and recorded specific outcomes servingintegration and cooperation as well as priority fields of disaster management,humanitarian aid, climate change, environmental protection, cultural exchange,education and labour.

Last year, the ASEAN passed twoimportant documents, which were the ASEAN Declaration on Coping with Disasters asa Single Entity in and outside the region, and the ASEAN Declaration on ClimateChange, which will regulate ASEAN’s activities at international forums onclimate change.

The bloc also adopted a masterplan on ASEAN connectivity until 2025 and action plans for the third phase ofthe ASEAN Integration Initiative.

In external relations, ASEAN hasreached agreement with Russia and the US to upgrade bilateral ties to thestrategic partnership level. The bloc has also concurred with the EurasianEconomic Union and Canada on the possibility to formulate free tradeagreements.

The Secretary General stressedthat amid complicated developments in the region and the world, ASEAN was ableto maintain its central role in regional mechanisms and in regulating externalties with partners.

According to Minh, one of thegreatest challenges to the region and the ASEAN Community is the complicateddevelopments in the East Sea. Such activities as the construction of artificial islands, the extension of disputed islands that had been illegally occupied as well as the militarization of the occupied features in the East Sea, have eroded trust between ASEAN and one of its most important partners, who is ASEAN’s  strategic partner with the most comprehensive cooperation.

He noted that in 2016 ASEAN andChina were able to reach agreement on accelerating the consultation andnegotiations towards an early completion of a Code of Conduct in the East Sea(COC).

In 2017, ASEAN stands ready tospeed up the consultation and negotiations for not only the framework but alsothe content of the COC, Minh said, adding that the COC should be made legallybinding and ensure the full and serious implementation of the Declaration onthe Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC).

The second major threat to theregion and the ASEAN Community is rising terrorism and extremism in the regionand the world. Several ASEAN member states were the sources of recruitment forthe self-claimed Islamic State (IS), and in the context of the IS being almostannihilated in the Middle East, it is possible that IS recruitment wouldincrease in the region or IS armed men would flee to ASEAN countries, Minhsaid, stressing that ASEAN should get prepared to cope with this threat.

The third challenge is that while ASEAN moves to expand external relations to play a greater role at regional forums according to its vision through 2015, a number of the bloc’s key partners are witnessing a return to or flare-up of extreme nationalism as well as populism. According to the Secretary General, the situation requires ASEAN to exert efforts to diversify external relations, particularly economic ones, such as working for the early completion of negotiations on the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and the free trade area agreement with potential partners, including China’s Hong Kong, resuming negotiations with the EU, and considering a possible agreement on free trade area with new partners like the Eurasian Economic Union or Canada.

Regardingplans for 2017 – the year SEAN will mark its 50th foundinganniversary, Minh said the celebration will be a good occasion for theassociation to evaluate its success and put forth orientations for the ASEANCommunity and promoting integration, particularly realising the ASEAN Vision2025.

Hehighlighted the ASEAN 2017 theme, which focuses on cooperating for change andproactively engaging the world. The Chair of ASEAN in 2017, the Philippines,has set forth six priorities for this year’s activities, namely, continuouslybuilding a people-centered community; strengthening regional security andstability; enhancing security and cooperation at sea; increasing ASEANself-reliance capacity; building ASEAN into a typical model on regionalcooperation; and proactively integrating into the world.

Suchpriorities truly reflect the “looking forward” spirit of the ASEAN Vision 2025,Minh said, adding that the bloc will continue reinforcing the community as adynamic, highly competitive and globally interactive one with stronger politicaland economic cohesion and social responsibilities.

Mentioningthe comments of some ASEAN member states that the bloc should change thearticles on consensus in its Charter to suit the new situation, Minh said ASEANwill review and update the Charter.

Hestressed that this is the matter of updating, not revising the Charter, whichmeans fundamental principles and terms on consensus will not be changed. Theupdate of the Charter is aimed at making the application of the stipulationsmore flexible and ensure the bloc’s more efficient operation.-VNA