At the ASEAN Leaders' Interface with Representatives of ASEAN Business Advisory Council within 36th ASEAN Summit (Photo: VNA)
KualaLumpur (VNA) - Amid the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Vietnam, asASEAN Chair, has managed to formulate a regional comprehensive economicrecovery plan, the New Straits Times of Malaysia reported.
Thiswas evident from the just-concluded 36th ASEAN Summit in Hanoi on June 26,where Vietnam demonstrated its mettle as a 25-year-old member of the regionalbloc.
Thenewspaper quoted a Vietnamese diplomat as saying that Vietnam had not onlyhosted a historic summit during the challenging times, but successfully livedup to the summit's theme of “Cohesive and Responsive ASEAN”.
"Thesummit brought ASEAN members together towards achieving a progressive regionalcomprehensive economic recovery plan post-COVID-19.
"Vietnamshared its precious 25 years experiences as an ASEAN member in containing andcombatting the pandemic with other members, representing a coordinated effortto ensure global and regional resilience and sustainability," said the official.
Theofficial pointed out that Vietnam had made significant contributions to ASEAN sincejoining the fold on July 28, 1995, in terms of ensuring regional peace andstability, promoting intra-bloc cooperation and providing more opportunitiesfor investment and economic growth.
Andover the past decades, Vietnam had emerged as an active and responsible member,wielding enormous influence upon ASEAN's structure, while contributing tomaintaining unity, peace and security in the region.
Meanwhile,Professor Tran Viet Thai from the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam said that itspriorities included support for a sound regional security architecture,according to the article
"Thiscan be achieved by helping ASEAN to be united, to maintain its centrality infacing so many packs of wolves, and in handling the pull-and-push of majorpowers in the region," said Tran, who is deputy director-general anddirector of the Centre for Regional and Foreign Policy Studies, at the academy'sInstitute for Foreign Policy and Strategic Studies.
Headded that Vietnam, which occupied an increasingly important geo-political andgeo-strategic location, was considered a bridge between the mainland andinsular Southeast Asia.
Thearticle said among Vietnam's milestones were in successfully organising the 6thASEAN Summit in 1998, just three years after becoming a bloc member.
The“Hanoi Action Programme” at the summit helped maintain cooperation andstrengthen ASEAN's position during the challenging times of the 1997-98 Asianfinancial crisis.
Vietnamalso achieved successes as the Chair of the ASEAN Standing Committee in 2001and ASEAN Chair in 2010. Both positions helped promote the enforcement cultureand towards a great leap forward in establishing an ASEAN Community by 2015,thus, enhancing the bloc's international role and position.
Otherachievements are Vietnam's constant support for the expansion of ASEAN'scooperation with the East Asia high-level cooperation mechanism with the participationof Russia and the United States, the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting and forASEAN to be represented at the G20 Summit.
Thenthere are the "Vision 2020 and implementation plans", "ASEANDeclaration 2", "ASEAN Charter", "Roadmap for the ASEAN CommunityDevelopment (2009-2015)", "Initiative for ASEAN Integration" andthe "ASEAN Master Plan and Connection".
Thearticle cited Vietnam's former Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan as saying thathis country had actively participated and played a dynamic role in promotingintra-bloc cooperation as well as ASEAN's cooperation with other partners./.
