There is no alternative to ASEAN centrality in the region.

Speaking to The Gioi & Viet Nam newspaper on the sidelines of the ASEAN Future Forum (AFF) 2024, Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Andrew Goledzinowski affirmed the importance of ASEAN to peace, stability and prosperity in the region.

Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Andrew Goledzinowski (center) shares at the sidelines of the ASEAN Future Forum 2024. (Photo: TV)

What is the Ambassador's assessment of the ASEAN Future Forum (AFF) 2024, which is being held for the first time and is an initiative of Vietnam?

AFF has been a huge success. I think the idea of ​​a forum to discuss the future came from the idea of ​​the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres about the UN Future Summit scheduled to be held in September in New York.

However, I believe that the initiative to gather ASEAN's views and bring them to the United Nations Future Summit in New York belongs to Vietnam.

These efforts by Vietnam are important for two reasons. One is that ASEAN is becoming an increasingly important part of the world. Therefore, the views of ASEAN countries need to be reflected in important international forums such as the one to be held in New York.

Second , another very important reason is that I think this is a further step for Vietnam towards a leading role in the region. It is a natural and appropriate development process and is strongly supported by Australia. Therefore, Australia is proud to be one of the financial sponsors of AFF 2024. This event also gives Vietnam the opportunity to demonstrate its convening capacity in ASEAN.

The world is facing a recession and many other complex issues mentioned by many ASEAN leaders at the opening ceremony of AFF 2024 such as geopolitical and geo-economic instability. Traditional and non-traditional security issues continue to change along with technological innovations, bringing both opportunities and challenges to the region. What is your assessment of this assessment, Ambassador?

Those assessments are absolutely correct, and many similar comments were echoed by speakers at AFF 2024. We are living in uncertain and dangerous times. For Australia, our response to the volatile geopolitical environment is to promote dialogue, as Vietnam has done through this forum, while also emphasizing adherence to the rules-based order.

Overall, we have effectively navigated the world situation since World War II thanks to the development of international law, including respect for sovereignty and compliance with important international treaties such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS 1982).

These are the conditions that allow small countries and big countries to work together to promote prosperity in the region. We thought that polarization was put aside after World War II. However, we are seeing a return of this view, which is very dangerous for regional peace and security.

So we have a regular dialogue with Vietnam. One of the pillars of our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is defence and security. In fact, yesterday we celebrated 25 years of Australia-Vietnam defence cooperation. I want to emphasise again that the answer to the challenges we face is continued dialogue.

I also emphasize the importance of dialogue within the framework of AFF 2024, dialogue to create a region where we coexist peacefully and develop prosperously.

ASEAN can achieve prosperity through cooperation, ASEAN is the 5th largest economy in the world and has the fastest growth rate in the world. However, the development level of its members is still uneven. According to the Ambassador, what should ASEAN do to overcome this problem for sustainable development?

Overcoming the difficulties and ensuring a balance towards sustainable economic growth is one of the major issues for ASEAN. I know that there have been many discussions on how to further promote intra-ASEAN trade and investment. Economic cooperation among member countries will continue to be promoted and will happen naturally. Most ASEAN countries are free-trade, open and integrated economies.

For Australia, we are working to promote more Australian investment into ASEAN. Because we see it as in ASEAN's interest as well as Australia's interest.

Therefore, I think the best thing that countries like Vietnam can do is to focus on reducing policy barriers, improving the business environment, strengthening the legal system so that investors feel secure when entering the Vietnamese economy or other ASEAN members. When those efforts are made, economic prosperity, investment and trade will naturally come, within ASEAN and between ASEAN and its external partners.

Australia is an important dialogue partner of ASEAN and is now a Comprehensive Strategic Partner of ASEAN. Could you share your expectations about ASEAN’s central role in promoting peace, security and prosperity in the region as well as the prospects for ASEAN-Australia cooperation in the coming time?

Australia is proud to have been ASEAN’s first dialogue partner and is now a Comprehensive Strategic Partner. We continue to prioritise our relationship with ASEAN.

We believe that there is no alternative to ASEAN centrality. Therefore, we emphasize that although ASEAN is not a perfect organization, the Association has been very successful for a long time in maintaining peace and stability within the region.

ASEAN also plays an increasingly important role in rallying the wider region to work with ASEAN to solve problems. No other entity can do this better than ASEAN.

So we will continue to invest and prioritize cooperation with ASEAN. We are facing many challenges today. The big focus now is on peace and security, that is very important.

We live in a world of immense challenges and we have a shared responsibility to shape the region we want. It is not enough to simply wish for peace. We must work together to achieve it.

Different countries will try to achieve their aspirations in different ways. The way Australia operates will not be the same as the way Vietnam operates. But we can all work together in the same direction, which is to reduce tensions, to create a balance or to move towards a situation where no country feels it is in their interest to upset the peace in the region.

That is very important and indeed the key challenge that we face going forward. There are many other challenges that are relevant to ASEAN, such as the economic situation, climate change, adaptation, digital transformation, energy transition, education and human resource development. There are many things that ASEAN can work on with its key partners. Australia is proud to work with ASEAN.

Thank you very much Ambassador!

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/dai-su-australia-khong-co-lua-chon-thay-the-cho-vai-tro-trung-tam-cua-asean-tai-khu-vuc-270735.html