EU Ambassador to ASEAN: Vietnam expected to continue advancing multilateral diplomacy

EU Ambassador to ASEAN Sujiro Seam. (Photo: EU Delegation to Vietnam)

Ambassador, how do you assess the role of Vietnamese diplomacy in enhancing the country’s image and standing on the international stage?

We always hope that Vietnam will continue to play an active diplomatic role both in the region and on the international stage.

More from WVR
Deputy FM Le Thi Thu Hang: Vietnam and EU have all the potential and conditions to advance and deepen cooperation

Vietnam and the European Union have now established a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, providing a very strong political and strategic foundation for cooperation between the two sides.

We also have the EU–Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA). Therefore, we hope Vietnam will continue to be a strong voice in support of multilateral trade and rules-based free trade.

In addition, Vietnam and its international partners are successfully implementing the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP). We hope Vietnam will continue to advance the green transition and advocate for international efforts in this area.

Finally, digital transformation and artificial intelligence (AI) are areas where the EU and Vietnam share common interests and priorities. Therefore, we hope Vietnam will continue to make further progress in these fields while contributing actively to advancing international cooperation and the development of relevant international frameworks.

All the points he has just mentioned are shared priorities of ASEAN, Vietnam and the EU. Once again, we hope Vietnam will continue to play an active role in advancing these common agendas.

Recently, General Secretary and President To Lam delivered an important speech at the 2026 Shangri-La Dialogue, in which he emphasised the responsibility of nations in a rapidly changing world. How do you assess this message, as well as the initiatives put forward by Vietnam?

When European Council President António Costa attended the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur in 2025, he brought with him two very clear messages.

The first message was that today’s world is becoming more challenging and more uncertain. Against the backdrop of these profound geopolitical changes, the EU seeks to reaffirm itself as a stable, reliable and predictable partner more than ever.

The second message was that today’s world is becoming increasingly fragmented and divided. We are living in a multipolar world. Therefore, what we need is cooperation in a multipolar order rather than confrontation or division.

ASEAN and the European Union have long been regarded by the international community as the world’s two most successful models of regional integration. Strengthening cooperation between ASEAN and the EU is both natural and necessary.

Overview of the interview. (Photo: EU Delegation to Vietnam)

Vietnam is one of the few ASEAN member states to have signed a bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the European Union. In your view, Ambassador, to what extent can the EU–Vietnam FTA serve as a model for promoting broader trade and economic cooperation between the EU and ASEAN?

First of all, on trade, we hope Vietnam will share with other ASEAN member states the benefits it has gained from the Free Trade Agreement with the EU.

We have consistently emphasized that Vietnam is among the countries that have benefited the most from the EU’s Free Trade Agreements. In fact, since the EU–Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) entered into force, trade between Vietnam and the European Union has increased by around 40%.

However, Ambassador Sujiro Seam would not say that the EVFTA can serve as a “model” for all other ASEAN member states.

There are two reasons for this:

First, each country has its own circumstances and characteristics. That is also why we have chosen a bilateral Free Trade Agreement approach, allowing us to take into account the specific characteristics and needs of each ASEAN member state.

Second, the EU’s approach to Free Trade Agreements has also evolved over time.

The EU’s most recent trade agreement with an ASEAN member state is the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with Indonesia. As it was negotiated and concluded only recently, this agreement may serve as a more up-to-date reference for future Free Trade Agreement negotiations between the EU and other ASEAN member states.

In the context of increasingly complex security challenges, how do you view the role of multilateralism, particularly ASEAN-led mechanisms, in addressing these challenges, Ambassador?

I would like to emphasize two points:

First, ASEAN and the EU share a strong commitment to multilateralism. We are equally committed to the principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity, the peaceful settlement of disputes, and opposition to unilateral actions.

At a time when we are witnessing growing instability around the world, it is more important than ever for those who believe in multilateralism to continue standing together and working closely with one another.

As early as next week in Manila, alongside the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference (PMC) and the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), we will also attend the ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC).

On that occasion, several more countries will accede to the TAC. Notably, most of the new parties joining the Treaty this time are from the European Union. This is clear evidence of the EU’s strong commitment to multilateralism, as well as its recognition of the central role of ASEAN-led mechanisms, including the TAC.

Second, with regard to maritime security and the South China Sea. Just a few days ago, we marked the 10 years of the arbitral tribunal’s ruling on the South China Sea case. On this occasion, the EU also issued a statement conveying three key messages:

First, it reaffirmed its commitment to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Second, the EU continues to reaffirm its support for efforts to develop a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC).

Finally, we express our deep concern over the tensions and dangerous incidents occurring in the South China Sea.

This demonstrates the high degree of convergence between the positions of the EU and ASEAN. It also underscores the EU’s continued recognition of ASEAN’s central role, as reflected in its direct support for the ASEAN-led negotiations on the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea.

It is fair to say that ASEAN and the EU share a broad consensus in support of multilateralism. More importantly, we must continue to reaffirm that support at a time when the world is witnessing an increasing number of unilateral actions.

Also speaking to the press, Ambassador Sujiro Seam stressed that 2027 will mark the 50th anniversary of the ASEAN–EU Dialogue Partnership. He also expressed hope that the two sides would hold a commemorative summit in Singapore and upgrade their relationship from a Strategic Partnership to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. According to Ambassador Sujiro Seam, over the past nearly three years, ASEAN and the EU have actively implemented the 2023–2027 Plan of Action, achieving significant progress across its three pillars: political-security, economic, and socio-cultural cooperation. The two sides have continued to enhance exchanges at the leaders’ and ministerial levels while deepening cooperation in trade, the green transition, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, education, research, climate change response, and disaster management. The Ambassador also affirmed that Vietnam is an important strategic partner of the European Union within ASEAN, playing a prominent role in such areas as political-security cooperation, trade, investment, the energy transition, and digital transformation. He commended Vietnam for having a Free Trade Agreement with the EU, participating in the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), co-chairing cooperation on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) under the framework of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), coordinating ASEAN–EU discussions on digital trade, and chairing ASEAN’s digital cooperation mechanisms in 2026. On that basis, Ambassador Sujiro Seam expressed confidence that the 50th anniversary in 2027 would provide an opportunity for ASEAN and the EU to reaffirm the achievements of their cooperation. He also emphasized that the EU expects Vietnam to continue playing a key role as a strategic partner in advancing ASEAN–EU relations in the years ahead.

Joint Statement on upgrading Vietnam-EU relations to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership WVR - From January 28-29, 2026, President of the European Council António Costa paid an official visit to Vietnam at the invitation of President Luong ...

European Council President António Costa visits Van Mieu – Quoc Tu Giam and Metro Line 3 Project WVR - On the afternoon of January 29, President of the European Council António Costa expressed his excitement while visiting this special historical complex and ...

Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung holds phone talks with European Commission Vice President WVR - On March 6, Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung held phone talks with Vice President of the European Commission (EC) and EU High Representative ...

Promoting Vietnam-EU cooperation in science, technology, and innovation WVR - From May 26-27, European Commissioner for Entrepreneurship, Research, and Innovation Ekaterina Zaharieva will visit Hanoi to promote cooperation between the European Union and ...

Seminar on innovation and green growth: Sharing European partners' experience, expanding cooperation opportunities with Vietnam WVR - On the morning of July 9, in Hanoi, the European Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs organized the seminar "Innovation and Green ...