Prime Mister Pham Minh Chinh attended he 25th ASEAN-Republic of Korea Summit held on October 10 in Vientiane, Laos, to commemorate the 35th anniversary of dialogue relations between ASEAN and South Korea.

The summit was also attended by leaders of other ASEAN countries or their representatives, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol, ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn, among others.

Timor-Leste attended as Observer.

At the summit, ASEAN and the Republic of Korea have elevated their relations to a comprehensive strategic partnership, which indicates the high level of cohesion between the two sides.

The leaders of the ASEAN countries and the Republic of Korea  reviewed the achievements of ASEAN-South Korea dialogue relations and discussed its future direction under the newly-launched comprehensive strategic partnership.

Addressing the event, the Vietnamese Prime Minister welcomed the upgrade of ASEAN - South Korea relations and put forward major orientations for bilateral cooperation in the time ahead, according to the Government News.

It quoted the Prime Minister as saying that first of all, ASEAN and South Korea need to make greater contributions to peace, security, stability and prosperity in the region.

The Vietnamese leader welcomed South Korea's continued support for ASEAN's principled stance on the East Sea issue and the bloc's efforts to build the East Sea into a region of peace, stability, cooperation and sustainable development.

ASEAN stands ready to coordinate with relevant parties to push for dialogues towards long-lasting peace and stability on the nuclear-free Korean Peninsula, the Government News quoted the Prime Minister as saying.

The Vietnamese leader called on ASEAN and South Korea to further boost economic cooperation, with a focus on connecting economies and enhancing cooperation in culture, tourism and education and training.

Trade and investment cooperation needs to be promoted in a more balanced and sustainable manner, he noted.

PM Chinh urged both sides to make full use of the ASEAN-Korea Free Trade Area (AKFTA) and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement while speeding up the formulation of mechanisms for promoting bilateral cooperation.