Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son (centre) attends the 29th ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC) Meeting (Photo: VNA)Son highlighted that ASEAN has been one of the most important and successfulregional organisations in the world, leading a wide and deep connectivity process, creating and maintaining peace,stability and development in Southeast Asia and the entire region.
From a group of war-divided countries, ASEAN has risen to a 10-member bloc withmore than 650 million people having diverse cultural identities and a gianteconomic community having the fifth biggest GDP in the world, a trust-worthypartner of many countries and an organisation playing a central role indialogue, cooperation and connectivity processes in the region, he noted.
The formation of an ASEAN Community with three key pillars of ASEANPolitical-Security Community, ASEAN Economic Community and ASEAN Socio-CulturalCommunity, is evidence for the bloc’s vitality, promoting the regional connectivityprocess to a new height for peace, cooperation and prosperous development.
The minister underscored fundamental principles of the bloc, includingsolidarity, consensus and not interfering into internal affairs of memberstates, stressing that ASEAN member countries have been supporting each otherin overcoming adverse impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The “ASEAN Manner” of solidarity and unity has helped the association and itsmembers overcome tough times in the region and the world, turning the bloc intoa more mature organisation with a higher role in the region.
Thanks to its prestige, position and central role, the association has expandedexternal relations and received support from the international community.
So far, ASEAN has set up dialogue partnerships with 11 countries and importantorganisations. Many standpoints and regulations of ASEAN, such as the ASEANCharter, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) have been supported andwelcomed by the international community and partners.
On the foundation of respecting international law and settling disputes anddifferences through peaceful measures in line with international law and the 1982United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), ASEAN has madeimportant contributions to maintaining a peaceful and stable environment in theEast Sea, which have been supported by the international community, Son wrote.
In terms of economic integration, so far, intra-bloc trade has accounted forabout 25 percent of the total trade revenue of the whole bloc. The effectiveimplementation of the ASEAN Economic Community is pushing the associationcloser to a united market with a scale of nearly 3 trillion USD. Besides, theassociation is also the centre of an expanded economic space with a network of eightfree trade agreements (FTA), including the ASEAN Free Trade Area and seven FTAswith important partners, including the Regional Comprehensive EconomicPartnership (RCEP), creating a free trade area accounting for 30 percent of thepopulation and 32 percent of GDP of the world.
Over the past 54 years, ASEAN can be proud of itself as a successful regionalconnectivity model. The bloc’s achievements laid a foundation for ASEAN to beoptimistic about the future growth of the grouping, he stressed.
Son underlined that ASEAN has been placed at an important position in theexternal policy and international integration of Vietnam. ASEAN is a gateway tobring Vietnam to wider playgrounds in the region and the world. Joining ASEANis a decision of strategic vision of the Party and State, contributing tomaking a new development status for the country, reinforcing a peaceful andstable environment and optimising external resources for the country’sdevelopment and enhancement of its position.
Vietnam has seriously implemented its commitments and obligations as an ASEANmember, while making various important contributions to the promotion ofintra-bloc solidarity, the building of the ASEAN Community and theimplementation of the ASEAN Vision 2025.
Vietnam has performed the role of the ASEAN Chair three times, all in toughtimes of the association. In 2000-2001 period, the association entered atransitional period in Community building after experiencing the Asianfinancial crisis in 1997-1998. In 2010, the association realised its Communityvision amid the serious impacts of the 2008-2009 global financial crisis.Meanwhile, the year of 2020 saw the outbreak of COVID-19 in the global scale,leading to complicated changes in the international situation.
With the cohesive and responsive spirit and the persistence to ASEANprinciples, Vietnam has joined hands with other ASEAN members to drive theassociation through hard times, actively adapting and responding to the newsituation, firmly maintaining the trend of cooperation and connectivity in theregion, affirming the central role and enhancing the position of theassociation. Many initiatives given by Vietnam in 2020 have become a sharedproperty of ASEAN, including the ASEAN COVID-19 Respond Fund and the ASEAN Regional Reserve of MedicalSupplies for Public Health Emergencies.
Realising its foreign policy set by the 13th National Party Congress and with anew status after 35 years of “Doi Moi” (Renewal), Vietnam has continued to workwith other ASEAN members to build a Community of solidarity and strength,firmly holding the central role in the regional security architecture.
Vietnam will continue to make efforts to effectively implement initiatives andagreements, contributing to the settlement of common issues of ASEAN and theregion, affirmed Son, stressing the need to foster coordination amongministries, sectors, localities and businesses in promoting ASEAN cooperation,with focus on personnel training.
The way ahead may tough, but with the promotion of the ASEAN manner and uniquevalue, along with the determination and great development potential of membercountries, ASEAN will make new chapters of success in building the ASEANCommunity of solidarity, strength, self-reliance, bringing about benefits to allmembers and making important contributions to peace, stability and prosperityin the region.
“Vietnam will continue to spare no efforts, together with ASEAN, to realisethis fine goal,” Son concluded./.
VNA
