Hanoi, April 9 -- Deputy Foreign Minister and head of the ASEAN Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) delegation of Vietnam Do Hung Viet and his New Zealand counterpart Grahame Morton co-chaired the 32nd annual ASEAN - New Zealand dialogue in the central city of Da Nang on April 9, as Vietnam coordinates the two sides' relations for 2024-2027.

In his speech, Deputy Minister Viet stressed New Zealand's role as one of ASEAN's first dialogue partners, citing its extensive cooperation frameworks, programmes, and initiatives that have significantly contributed to regional collaboration and development over the past five decades.

Amid growing global and regional challenges and intensifying strategic competition, he said that the close and extensive...