Vietnamese, Philippine foreign ministers meet to boost cooperation

HANOI (Xinhua) - Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh met with visiting Philippine Minister of Foreign Affairs Albert del Rosario here yesterday.

According to a press release by Vietnam's Foreign Ministry, during the meeting, the two sides reached consensus on holding the first session of a joint committee led by the two foreign ministries in the third quarter of 2014.

The two ministers agreed to boost cooperation in the areas of politics, economy, security, defense, agriculture, food security, fishery, culture, education and tourism, among others, said the press release.

Both sides praised the significance of the implementation of agreements and relevant bilateral mechanisms, including those on maritime cooperation as well as on fishery cooperation.

The two sides affirmed to continue coordinating and joining efforts together with other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to successfully build an ASEAN Community and to promote the bloc's central role in regional cooperation.

Both of them agreed that ASEAN should demonstrate a united and responsible voice on important issues in the region, including the South China Sea issue, for the sake of peace, stability and cooperation in the region.

The two sides also highlighted the positive contribution by and important role of ASEAN in ensuring peace, stability, security, maritime and aviation safety in the South China Sea.