ASEAN leaders at the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summits and Related Summits (Photo: VNA)In an interview granted to Vietnam News Agency (VNA)’s correspondentsin Jakarta ahead of the 42nd ASEAN Summit, the ASEAN Secretary-General said that he has learnt about Vietnam’sfast transformation and outstanding development achievements in recent years.
With about 100 million people, ranking third among ASEANmember countries in population scale, Vietnam has strong economic potentialwith high investment attraction and fast social development, he said, addingthat the “S”-shape country is one of the ASEAN members that draw greatattention in investment, tourism and trade.
“I think Vietnam has been playing a very important role, Imean, a major contributor to ASEAN,” he stated.
Regarding major issues to be discussed at the 42nd ASEANSummit, which will take place from May 9-11 in Indonesia with the participationof 11 countries, Kao Kim Hourn said that the event will focus on intra-bloc issues,including the ASEAN Community building, regional integration and priorities ofthe ASEAN Chair in 2023. ASEAN leaders will meet the High-Level Task Force onASEAN Community Post-2025 Vision (HLTF-ACV) and give their ideas on thebuilding of a strategic vision towards 2045.
ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn (Photo: VNA)Regarding the ASEAN 2023 theme “ASEAN matters: Epicentrum ofGrowth," Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn stressed that ASEAN remains an importantplayer in the region and globally. That's why the association continues toattract a lot of interest from external partners, some of which want to upgradetheir partnership with the ASEAN and join ASEAN leaded mechanisms, he said.
He held that amid the global economic uncertainties, it isimportant for ASEAN to continue to work together to ensure that the associationremains attractive to investors from outside the region and dialogue partners. At the same time, itis necessary for the grouping to make sure that the region remain peaceful,stable and secure to draw investors and tourists, he added.
The ASEAN leader said that Timor Leste, which is on theprocess to become the 11th member of the ASEAN, will also attend thesummit. He affirmed that the ASEAN will assist Timor Leste in terms of capacitybuilding so that the country can be well prepared to take advantage of being come afull member of ASEAN, in the very near future.
Mentioning the building of an effective Code of Conduct inthe East Sea (COC), Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn reiterated that during aretreat in early February, ASEAN Foreign Ministers agreed to speed upnegotiations for the deal. For Indonesia, as the ASEAN Chair in 2023, hopes to expeditethe negotiations of the COC, building on the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) in the past21 years.
He went on to say that to ensure an effective COC, it isnecessary to rely on the member states that will be negotiating directlybetween ASEAN and China.
“Certainly, of course, what constitutes effective would besomething that COC would be meaningful, substantial, that would be able toagree upon by the party states that participate in the negotiations of the COC.And that's why the negotiation process is very important. Not only just theoutcome, but also the negotiation process, where to focus on the process rightnow, to make sure that the interests and the needs of the different countries,the different parties states to the COC will have to be sorted out,” stated theASEAN Secretary-General./.
VNA
