Vietnam plays pivotal role in ASEAN with many imprints

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh attended and opened the symposium. Attending this symposium, there were also former high-ranking Government leaders, Vietnamese officials and experts, representatives of the embassies of ASEAN countries and partners, representatives of regional and international organizations in Hanoi. 

In addition, a number of senior officials and scholars from Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Singapore, ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi, Deputy Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Asia-Pacific Economic and Social Committee Ocean of the United Nations (UNESCAP) and Chief Economist of the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) also attended the seminar via online form.

Delivering the opening remarks, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh affirmed that, during the 25-year journey of joining ASEAN, Vietnam has witnessed important changes of the Association from a humble beginning to becoming the most successful regional cooperation organization, the nucleus of dialogue and cooperation for peace, stability and prosperity in the region, as well as an important partner of many major powers and eco-political centers in the world.

Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh also emphasized that, during that journey, Vietnam has always been an proactive and responsible member, making contributions to ASEAN's development especially in critical moments creating ASEAN milestones such as completing the ASEAN-10 concept, promoting and concretizing the goal of forming an ASEAN Community, building the ASEAN Charter, contributing to promoting the central role and global position of ASEAN.

In the speech, Former Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan affirmed that, the decision to join ASEAN 25 years ago has resulted in a "win-win" result for bth Vietnam and ASEAN. For ASEAN, that is the first step to bring together all 10 Southeast Asian countries, paving the way to eliminate suspicions, confrontation, and turn to peace and cooperation. With Vietnam, this is the first step to "practice" integrating with the world.

Comments at the conference shared the assessment that ASEAN has grown tremendously after 53 years of establishment, becoming the home for about 650 million people, having a dynamic economy with gross domestic product ( GDP) reached more than 3,200 billion USD and trade turnover reached 2,800 billion USD. With milestones reached such as the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), the Treaty on Southeast Asia without nuclear weapons (SEANWFZ), the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) was formed. Together with the Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) between ASEAN and a series of key economies in the world, ASEAN has contributed to regional peace and stability as well as contributed to maintaining ASEAN's centrality in the area.

Over the past 25 years, Vietnam has played a pivotal role in ASEAN, with many imprints, notably the realization of ASEAN including 10 Southeast Asian countries, building a culture of dialogue and cooperation in the region, expanding participation of external partners in confidence building, conflict prevention through mechanisms led by ASEAN. At the same time, Vietnam is also involved in building, consolidating and developing the code of conduct, regulations on the behavior of other countries when participating in regional cooperation.

The delegates said that there are still many opportunities for ASEAN to develop in the context of diverse challenges such as geostrategic fluctuations, large country competition, development gaps between member countries, and consular disputes. territory, territorial waters… and now is the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. In this situation, ASEAN needs to take advantage of opportunities by addressing challenges. Cohesion in action, proactive approach, and behavioral flexibility are key for ASEAN to maintain its centrality and build a peaceful, stable and prosperous Southeast Asia region.

Some participants affirmed that, ASEAN should become an integral part of the international community, actively and proactively participating in the achievement of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), taking advantage of the opportunities brought by the 4th Industrial Revolution. However, in the spirit of the Community, ASEAN countries cannot ignore goals such as reducing poverty, narrowing development gaps, and responding to climate change.

Referring to the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic, participants said that it is necessary to deal with the negative effects of the Covid-19 epidemic in a comprehensive, systematic and effectively coordinated manner. By doing this, ASEAN can solve the serious consequences of Covid-19 such as unemployment, poverty, and increasing development gap ...

ASEAN's development orientation also attracted the attention of many delegates. The statements mostly emphasized that ASEAN should focus on issues such as reviving socio-economic life from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, adapting to changes in production, trade and investment such as the supply chain shifts in the face of great pressure, especially US-China competition.

To this end, ASEAN needs to support the development of cooperation in investment in infrastructure and information technology, promote universal health insurance coverage, and improve social security networks, support small and medium enterprises, pay attention to green economic recovery ...

At the same time, it is necessary to continue to affirm the independence in the approach, balance the relationship, and harmonize the diverse interests of the parties when participating in regional cooperation. Notably, some participants also said that creating a unified market based on a common production platform is a suitable tool for ASEAN to anticipate, adapt and take advantage of opportunities due to changes of regional environment brings.

Concluding the Conference, Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Quoc Dung affirmed that, the symposium was of great significance, both recreating a genuine and objective picture of the ASEAN development process and the 25-year journey of Vietnam joining ASEAN. At the same time, the Deputy Minister also said that the Workshop has suggested great directions for ASEAN and for Vietnam in the next journey towards a cohesive, adaptive, closely linked, people-centered Community, for a peaceful, stable and prosperous Southeast Asia in particular as well as plays a central role in the vast Indo-Pacific region.

Some pictures at the Workshop: