At the 44th-45th ASEAN Summit last year in Laos, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (the initiator of AFF) proudly spoke about the success of AFF 2024 and announced that Vietnam would continue to host AFF 2025. "As scheduled, again", AFF 2025 made regional and international politicians, experts, and scholars excited and eager. The atmosphere of AFF 2024 seemed to repeat itself, seemingly more exciting, with international media mentioning a noteworthy forum in Hanoi.
With the theme “Building a united, inclusive and resilient ASEAN in a changing world”, AFF 2025 will be held on February 25-26. This is one of the most important multilateral diplomatic events hosted by Vietnam in 2025.
The Forum is expected to be attended by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, Prime Minister of New Zealand, Prime Minister of Malaysia, President of Timor Leste, Deputy Prime Minister of Laos, Deputy Prime Minister of Cambodia, etc.; gathering over 500 delegates registered to attend in person, including senior leaders of ASEAN countries and partners; leading regional and international experts and scholars; Ambassadors, senior officials of ASEAN countries and partners, international organizations; representatives of businesses, localities and a large number of domestic and international press reporters.
Self-reliance in change
In a volatile and unpredictable world like today, how to keep the ASEAN “ship” moving forward is a concern of ASEAN leaders. The “self-reliance” aspect that AFF 2025 wants to emphasize is the common aspiration and goal of the Association.
The late Deputy Prime Minister Vu Khoan once emphasized that deep down, ASEAN always has two great sources of motivation: the aspiration for peace, stability, and cooperation for mutual development and the desire for self-reliance and self-strengthening.
Clearly, through the stages of development of the Association, self-reliance, non-side-picking behavior, self-decision making and direction determination without external influence, have helped ASEAN shape its current values and central role. Through mechanisms such as ASEAN+1, ASEAN+3, ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), East Asia Summit (EAS), etc., ASEAN has created and maintained balanced and flexible relations with ASEAN's external partners, maintaining stability and creating conditions for development. All countries support ASEAN's central role and accept the Association's common principles and standards.
AFF 2025 has 12 activities, focusing on exchanging and discussing topics directly related to the future of ASEAN such as: Major trends affecting ASEAN and the world; ASEAN's fundamental principles, sub-regional cooperation; emerging technology governance; ASEAN's role in connecting and promoting peace...
However, no one can be sure that the ASEAN “ship” at the age of 58 will always be calm and “smooth sailing”. Self-reliance in the present with careful preparation for the future is the mindset that ASEAN must always have. Most recently, at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat in Malaysia (January 19), Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son emphasized that ASEAN needs to maintain a balanced and objective approach, enhancing its role and voice in issues related to peace, security, stability and development in the region and the world.
Sharing with TG&VN from a long-term perspective, Mr. Kavi Chongkittavorn, a well-known Thai expert in the region on ASEAN, said that in a multipolar world, ASEAN needs to demonstrate its diplomatic strength based on the principles of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) such as non-use of force, decision-making based on consensus, and non-interference in each other's internal affairs. 55 countries, representing a quarter of the total number of UN members, have signed the TAC, highlighting the role of the treaty in maintaining peace and stability.
In addition, in the next decade, the ASEAN economy will be the fourth largest in the world, contributing to increasing ASEAN's influence on global issues. Therefore, ASEAN-led mechanisms should be effectively utilized to promote issues of common interest.
Certainly, a self-reliant ASEAN that strongly promotes its central role will be a bridge and destination to multiply aspirations for peace and development, not only of ASEAN but also of countries in the region and the world.
Secure the future
ASEAN Secretary General Kao Kim Hourn once pondered: “ASEAN must not only look inward but also outward. However, ASEAN needs to continue to strengthen the bloc even when looking outward”. Solidarity and inclusive development are important keys for ASEAN to be strong from within, holding the future in its own hands. AFF 2025 emphasizes the element of “solidarity, inclusiveness”, which is in harmony with the theme of Malaysia’s Chairmanship Year 2025 (Inclusive and Sustainable), also with the desire to build a more cohesive and inclusive Community, an ASEAN with enough courage and confidence to face all difficulties and challenges.
It is certain that only ASEAN solidarity can achieve the “foundation” it has today. Born nearly six decades ago, surrounded by instability, division and suspicion, ASEAN has gradually united, nurtured trust that has grown over the years and brought a new look to the region.
ASEAN, from an organization with only five members, has now become the common home of 10 Southeast Asian countries, opening a new era for regional solidarity and cooperation. The ASEAN Community was formed on December 31, 2015, marking a qualitative step forward for ASEAN. Together, ASEAN builds the Community Vision 2025 and then 2045 with the destination of development and happiness for all people of the Association, leaving no one behind.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and delegates from ASEAN countries at the opening session of the first ASEAN Future Forum in Hanoi, April 23, 2024. (Photo: Tuan Anh)
Speaking to TG&VN , Ambassador Hoang Anh Tuan, former Deputy Secretary General of ASEAN, commented: “ASEAN’s greatest asset after nearly six decades of formation and development is solidarity and adaptability. This is not only the core value that has helped ASEAN maintain peace, stability, and promote development in the region, but also the foundation that helps this regional inter-national organization affirm its central position in the regional structure and its position in the international arena.”
Also a metaphor for solidarity, in an interview with Dr. Prashanth Parameswaran, editor-in-chief of ASEAN Wonk Newsletter, right before AFF 2025, Dr. Nguyen Hung Son, Acting Director of the Diplomatic Academy, compared that if using the image of a “bamboo tree”, ASEAN is a “bundle of bamboo”, united to create sustainable strength.
More responsible, more creative
Over the past three decades of participating in ASEAN, Vietnam has grown stronger and more steadfast in ASEAN cooperation in particular and international integration in general, with increasingly prominent contributions.
Talking about Vietnam means talking about a prestigious and responsible member of ASEAN and the international community, making every effort, cooperating sincerely, trustingly and contributing wholeheartedly. Vietnam has received great values from ASEAN, with a “strategic space” that contributes to creating a favorable situation, maintaining a peaceful, secure, stable and developing environment for the country; ASEAN is a “fulcrum” for Vietnam to promote its role, enhance its strategic value in relations with partners… In response, it is difficult to list all of Vietnam’s imprints in ASEAN in a few lines. Vietnam always aspires to be able to contribute more proactively, flexibly, positively, responsibly, creatively and effectively… to the work of the common home.
AFF is one such effort. Sharing with ASEAN Wonk, Dr. Nguyen Hung Son explained that there are currently a number of 1.5 track dialogue mechanisms in the region such as Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia-Pacific Forum, Jeju Forum. However, there is no forum that focuses entirely on ASEAN and its relations with its partners. Therefore, Vietnam decided to propose the AFF initiative to fill that gap.
The ASEAN Future Forum is gradually becoming familiar. Regional and international officials and scholars, when mentioning this name, all respond positively with satisfied “nods”. We believe that AFF will go a long way, shaping a brand with the Vietnamese mark, becoming a cradle of ideas to nurture the aspirations of all Association members, friends and partners to contribute to the common development of the “ship” ASEAN on each “voyage”.
“AFF 2024 has been successfully launched, laying the foundation for a unique and one-of-a-kind ASEAN forum, by ASEAN and for ASEAN, but still open and inclusive, just like ASEAN itself. The Forum’s Organizing Committee hopes that AFF 2025 will continue to be successful, starting to create the brand and mark of AFF Hanoi. From 2026 onwards, that brand and mark will be affirmed and promoted in the region and the world. In other words, we hope that AFF will be similar to the Shangrila Dialogue, the Munich Security Conference and other forums in the region,” said Trinh Minh Manh, Acting Director of the Institute for Strategic Studies, Diplomatic Academy.
Source: https://baoquocte.vn/dien-dan-tuong-lai-asean-cai-ten-dan-quen-304958.html
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