Foreign ministers from ten member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) convened in Hanoi Tuesday to discuss regional integration and cooperation.

Foreign ministers from ten member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) convenedto discuss regional integration and cooperation in Hanoi on July 20, 2010. [Xinhua]

At the opening address to the 43rd ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting, Nguyen Tan Dung, Vietnamese prime minister and chairman of ASEAN summits this year, said that establishing the ASEAN Community by 2015 is the top priority for ASEAN now, and much remains to be done to realize the goal.

"ASEAN is mobilizing all resources to achieve goals set in the Roadmap for the ASEAN Community," said Dung. "The progress recorded to date is enormous and significant."

"However, we are fully aware that much remains to be done to build the ASEAN Community that is politically harmonious, economically integrated and socially responsible," said Dung.

Dung expressed growing confidence of ASEAN in participating in regional and international affairs. "ASEAN should present itself as a responsible member of the international community in responding to global challenges, especially economic crisis, climate change and pandemics," he said.

"ASEAN should be more proactive in recommending and undertaking measures to enhance the operational efficiency of ASEAN-led wider regional cooperation frameworks such as ASEAN+3, East Asia Summit and ASEAN Regional Forum," said Dung.

During the one-day meeting, those foreign ministers are scheduled to discuss measures to accelerate the implementation of the roadmap for an ASEAN Community, strengthen ASEAN integration and connectivity, broaden and deepen relations between ASEAN and its dialogue partners, and enhance cooperation to address global challenges.

The foreign ministers will also discuss preparation work for the 17th ASEAN Summit to be held in Vietnam in the second half of this year.

According to the meeting's agenda, a Joint Communique will be adopted by ASEAN foreign ministers on major outcomes of the meeting later on Tuesday.

ASEAN was founded in 1967 and currently comprises Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Vietnam assumes the Chairmanship of ASEAN this year.

The annual ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting is to formulate the basic policies of the institution of ASEAN.

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