Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (Source: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – The following is the remarks by Prime Minister Nguyen XuanPhuc at the opening ceremony of the 53rd ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting and Related Meetings on September 9.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Good morning!
It is my great pleasure to be invited to address the Opening Ceremony ofthe 53rd ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM-53) and RelatedMeetings. Themeeting is another testament that ASEAN is adapting itself to the newcircumstances, and standing steadily united to overcome all adversities.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
2020 is a year full of significant events. Thisyear, ASEAN has entered its 6th decade, and celebrates the 5th year of the ASEAN Community. Our ASEAN has grown strong to become the world’s 5th largest economy, a key actor that holds centrality in advancing dialogue and cooperationfor peace, security and prosperity of the region. These valuable fruits of our cooperationare being tested in an enviroment full of volatilities and unprecedentedchallenges, particularly the COVID-19 pandemic.
Cohesive and responsive is not merely the theme of ASEAN2020. Cohesive and responsive, along with proactive and responsible, havebecome a brand of ASEAN, which enabled us to stand hand-in-hand in the face of immensechallenges and keep forging ahead.
Such brand has emerged prominent in the past 8 months, and is evidentthrough the highest-level commitments by the ASEAN Leaders at the ASEAN andASEAN+3 Special Summits in April and the 36th ASEAN Summit in June,respectively. The spiritalso guides the efforts of the Community pillars to expand cooperation andlinkages while realising the dual tasks of advancing growth and containing thepandemic.
I take this opportunity to commend the ASEAN sectoral bodies for yourwhole-hearted devotion to help our businesses and people restore production andreturn their life to normal. The initiatives, including the COVID-19 Response Fund, the Regional Reserveof Medical Supplies, the Standard Operating Procedures, and an ASEAN comprehensiverecovery plan have not only assisted in the pandemic joint response but alsostrengthened the bonds between and among ASEAN member states.
ASEAN has well displayed its courage and resilience amid complex dynamics.In that connection, I commend the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Statement on the 53rd anniversary of ASEAN, in which you underlined commitment to maintainingSoutheast Asia as a region of peace, security, neutrality and stability while strengtheningASEAN’s centrality, unity and resilience, and promoting confidence building, mutualrespect and the rule of law.
ASEAN has managed to raise its internationalprofile. In mycapacity as the ASEAN Chair 2020, I was invited to the G-20 virtual summit, NAM meeting, WorldHealth Assembly on COVID-19 response, where I delivered the strong message of ASEAN, wishing to standside by side the international community in responding to this global challenge. May I also applaud ASEAN SecretaryGeneral Lim Jock Hoi as he made his first speech at the UNSC highlightingASEAN’s commitments to cooperating with the UN and contributing to the UN’s effortsin the maintenance of international peace and security.
Excellencies, Ladiesand Gentlemen,
2020 will end in just 4 months while theCOVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold in complex manner, and our people and businessescontinue to be outstretched by its repercussions. The regional geo-political andgeo-economic landscape, including the South China Sea, are witnessing growingvolatilities that are detrimental to peace and stability. Against that backdrop,to build upon what we have achieved together, I would like to draw theattention of ASEAN Foreign Ministers to the following matters:
First, we need to continue upholding ASEAN’ssolidarity and unity in order to successfully realise the Blueprints for theASEAN Community Vision 2025. We need to raise the effectiveness of the ASEAN Charter implementationand that of the ASEAN sectoral bodies. This will enable us to work out theASEAN Vision beyond 2025.
Second, efforts should be invested to control Covid-19 and promote sustained recovery. I propose that the COVID-19 Response Fund should be wellutilised and the Regional Reserve of Medical Supplies should beoperationalised so as to raise ASEAN’sresponse capacity. We need to promptly help our people and businesses restoreproduction and return their life to normal in order to speed up economic recovery. Efforts should also be made tofacilitate trade and investment, fix the disrupted supply chain, enhanceconnectivity and provide mutual support to bridge the development gaps between thesubregions in ASEAN, including the Mekong.
Third, we need to capitalise on ASEAN centrality inadvancing dialogue, cooperation and confidence building in the region. On thatbasis, we shall formulate and share norms of conduct, uphold the rule of law, mutualtrust, mutual respect and equality in the relations between and among countriesin the region, settle peacefully all disputes and differences on the basis ofinternational law, including UNCLOS 1982 and ASEAN’s instruments on norms ofconducts in the region, including TACand DOC, AOIP...
In such a complex landscape today, ASEAN needsto continue adhering to its more-than-five-decadepath and ASEAN way, in line with the spirit of the Foreign Ministers Statementon the importance of maintaining peace and stability in Southeast Asia on 8 August. Let us capitalize on the ASEAN valuesand identity, which bind our peoples together in a caring and sharing community,just like the sheaf of yellow paddy stalks on our ASEAN flag or the ASEAN song,which we should promote to become popular icons and pride of the 650 million ASEANpeople.
Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Viet Nam’s ASEAN Chairmanship 2020 alsocoincides with the 25th anniversary of our ASEAN membership. I wish to reaffirm Viet Nam’scommitment to doing our utmost alongside fellow member states in realising theASEAN Community. I look forward to your continued support and collaboration tofulfill the Chairmanship 2020 for a cohesive and responsive ASEAN. Finally, Iwish the Meeting every success and wish you all the best of health. Thank youfor your attention!
