ASEAN and the RoK should promote their cooperation in economics, trade, investment, tourism and transport to lift their comprehensive partnership to new heights so as to bring practical benefits to both sides, said Mr Dung.

At the same time, he said both sides should increase their efforts and pool more resources to effectively implement the already signed agreements to cement ties.

The Vietnamese leader proposed that the RoK adopt specific and practical measures to help ASEAN carry out an overall plan on the establishment of a single ASEAN community by 2015 and another ASEAN plan on narrowing the development gap between its members.

RoK President Lee Muyng-bak pledged to support ASEAN in realising the two plans and praised ASEAN’s main role in regional forums such as ASEAN+3 summit (with China, Japan and the RoK), the East Asia Summit (EAS) and the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).

He said that the RoK has introduced and will actively undertake a New Asia Initiative and a New Initiative for ASEAN Integration and Sustainable Development.

He reaffirmed his country’s strong commitment to providing US$400 million in official development assistance (ODA) capital for ASEAN, receiving 7,000 trainees from ASEAN and contributing US$5 million to the ASEAN-RoK cooperation fund from now until 2010.

Leaders from ASEAN member countries welcomed the RoK’s new initiatives and proposed that the Northeast Asian country implement specific measures to bring these initiatives to life as soon as possible.

They spoke highly of the dynamic development of the cooperative ties between ASEAN and the RoK since the two established their dialogue relationship 20 years ago. They pledged to effectively implement signed agreements, especially a joint statement on the comprehensive partnership between ASEAN and the RoK and agreements on the establishment of an ASEAN-RoK free trade area.

ASEAN and RoK leaders agreed to give priority to increasing bilateral cooperation in economics, trade, investment, infrastructure development, cultural exchanges and people-to-people diplomacy, as well as in addressing global issues such as the global economic and financial crisis, environmental degradation, climate change, natural disasters and epidemics.