ASEAN has to make greater efforts to ensure its centrality in an evolving regional architecture amidst a changing regional and international landscape.
"To date, ASEAN’s role has been widely recognised, but we cannot take it for granted in the future," said H.E. Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung of Viet Nam on the occasion of the 43rd anniversary of ASEAN.
In the ASEAN Lecture in Hanoi, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, who is the current Chair of ASEAN, said that to bring into full play its role in the region, ASEAN must enhance its unity and cohesion, accelerate regional integration, harmonise national interests with that of the region and gradually raise the quality of ASEAN’s “unity in diversity”.
"We should continue to facilitate ASEAN partners’ deeper engagement and constructive contributions in addressing issues related to regional peace, security and development on the basis of supporting the establishment of the ASEAN Community and ASEAN’s centrality," he said. ASEAN, said the Prime Minister, should build on its advantage as hub for accommodating and harmonising various interests in the region as well as connecting existing cooperation mechanisms and frameworks. To this end, ASEAN needs to improve the effectiveness and quality of cooperation with its partners within ASEAN+1, ASEAN+3, the East Asia Summit (EAS) and ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), he added.
The Prime Minister also said that ASEAN membership has brought important and practical interests for Viet Nam, supporting the country's efforts for national security and development. "As an active, proactive and responsible member of the ASEAN family, Viet Nam will make every effort to contribute to the successful building of the ASEAN Community by 2015, and for this year is to fulfill the responsibility of the ASEAN Chairmanship under the theme 'Towards an ASEAN Community: from Vision to Action'", he stressed. Viet Nam became a full-fledged member of ASEAN on 28 July 1995.
Meanwhile, in his speech at the ASEAN Lecture ceremony, the Secretary-General of ASEAN said that Viet Nam has contributed much to ASEAN's impressive list of accomplishments since joining ASEAN. "Soon after Viet Nam joined ASEAN, it played its part in making the dreams of the Founding Fathers of ASEAN come true by actively supporting the admission of the rest of the newer ASEAN Member States: Lao PDR, Myanmar and Cambodia," said Dr Surin Pitsuwan.
Viet Nam’s exemplary leadership, Dr Surin said "With 'Towards the ASEAN Community: From Vision to Action' as the theme of its Chairmanship, Viet Nam has made it clear that ASEAN is one of the main focuses of Viet Nam’s foreign policy. Even before assuming the Chairmanship, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung pledged to spare no effort in terms of national commitment and resources in taking on Viet Nam’s role as Chair. Elevating ASEAN’s profile and raising its voice and prestige in the international arena is high on Viet Nam’s agenda," he said.
According to Dr Surin, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has certainly raised the profile of ASEAN during the G-20 Summit in Toronto in late June. "And indeed Viet Nam raised the recognition and confidence in ASEAN during the recent 43rd ASEAN Ministerial Meeting and Related Meetings held right here in Ha Noi. The AMM provided the backdrop for ASEAN’s friends and partners to reaffirm their unequivocal support for ASEAN Centrality. It was very clear that they wanted to see ASEAN continue to play a central role in the emerging regional architecture".
However, he cautioned that there is yet much to be done in the member states to make ASEAN better known to our citizens. "After all, the efforts towards building an ASEAN Community would depend on our people. They must be made aware of the potential and true benefits of ASEAN. They must be inspired by the vision of ASEAN and convinced that the future of their children is very much dependent on the realisation of that grand vision."
But more importantly, said Dr Surin, the people of ASEAN must be made to have a sense of ownership of ASEAN and recognise what they can contribute to ASEAN in return.
"All of us must dream the Dream of our Founding Fathers. All of us must endeavour to make that Dream a reality" he urged.
Giang Tu
Vietnamese
