Hanoi, July 15 -- Vietnam, as the first ASEAN member state to establish a Strategic Partnership with the European Union (EU), will continue making every effort to contribute to the development of ASEAN-EU relations in the coming years, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Dang Hoang Giang has said.

Receiving EU Ambassador to ASEAN Sujiro Seam in Hanoi on July 14, Deputy FM Giang, who is also head of the ASEAN Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) delegation of Vietnam, spoke highly of the positive progress in the ASEAN-EU Strategic Partnership, noting that the EU has become one of ASEAN's most reliable partners and has provided substantial support for the ASEAN Community-building process.

Against the backdrop of rapid and complex regional and g...