This is a historic visit as General Secretary To Lam visited the ASEAN Secretariat for the first time.
After the official welcoming ceremony, the General Secretary met with the ASEAN Secretary General and delivered an important speech at the ASEAN Secretariat.
General Secretary To Lam and his wife with ASEAN Secretary General Kao Kim Hourn and his wife at the ASEAN Secretariat. Photo: VNA
Speaking on the policy, General Secretary To Lam shared, "As soon as we set foot in the beautiful island country, everywhere we saw the bright eyes and friendly and affectionate smiles of the Indonesian people, making us feel like we were visiting the home of a blood brother with many similarities and closeness."
The General Secretary shared about the important role of ASEAN in the current world situation. He pointed out three major trends that are shaping the future, including: The reshaping of the world situation towards multipolarity and multi-center, in which strategic competition and separation between major countries are increasingly fierce with both the world and ASEAN; the explosion of science and technology, especially emerging technology...; the increasingly profound impact of non-traditional security challenges such as climate change, resource depletion, population aging...
ASEAN Secretary General Kao Kim Hourn, Ambassadors, Heads of Delegations of several member countries and partners in ASEAN highly appreciated Vietnam's proactive and active role in ASEAN over the past 30 years. Photo: VNA
"More than ever, we clearly feel the difficulties, challenges, and risks to peace, security, stability, and the escalation of tensions and conflicts between countries that have increased to the highest level in the past 75 years....", the General Secretary commented.
However, the General Secretary said that challenges and difficulties always contain or present opportunities to push countries closer together, opening up rare opportunities for ASEAN to rise up and affirm its new position.
In particular, difficulties and challenges are the driving force of innovation. The General Secretary cited the historical lesson of Vietnam, if there were no difficulties and challenges in the 1980s, there would not have been the Renovation process and Vietnam as it is today.
The General Secretary quoted Uncle Ho's saying " Nothing is difficult/ Only fear that the heart is not steadfast/ Digging mountains and filling seas/ With determination, one can do it ".
"We need to be determined, united, look straight at difficulties and challenges, continue to promote cooperation, stimulate innovation and create new, sustainable growth drivers for the entire ASEAN community, for each member country and each partner," said the General Secretary.
General Secretary To Lam: ASEAN will develop strongly into the world's fourth largest economy by 2030, a center of technology, digital economy and innovation. Photo: VNA
The General Secretary shared three typical stories about the historic decisions that created ASEAN's success, namely: the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s; the formation of the ASEAN Community in 2015; and ASEAN's extraordinary efforts to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic.
The above stories are evidence of the core values that have made ASEAN successful and its identity over the past six decades. "Solidarity, self-reliance, cooperation, and unity in diversity continue to be the keys to ensuring ASEAN's success," the General Secretary affirmed.
The General Secretary also said that consensus and solidarity do not mean always keeping oneself in a safe zone for all parties. On the contrary, members of the ASEAN family need to "dare to think, dare to do, dare to act for the common good", because this is the true meaning and value of consensus and solidarity.
The General Secretary made a number of proposals for ASEAN to make breakthroughs in promoting strategic values and enhancing its prestige and role.
Firstly, it is necessary to ensure strategic autonomy and flexibility to enhance adaptability and respond to challenges and rapid changes in the context of strategic competition...
Second, we need to be more economically self-reliant, take advantage of and promote ASEAN's advantages to rise in the global supply chain to become the world's strategic production center...
Third, further promote ASEAN's identity and values, strengthen cultural connectivity and people-to-people exchanges, and promote ASEAN's values such as "consensus, harmony and respect for differences" in decision-making methods...
Fourth, enhance the effectiveness in building standards of conduct, aiming to regulate and direct all relations between countries in the region on the basis of the principles of balance, inclusiveness and mutually beneficial cooperation...
Fifth, focus on solving internal issues together, helping Myanmar stabilize and develop, and helping Timor Leste soon become a full member of ASEAN.
General Secretary: ASEAN is a successful model of connectivity, bringing confidence and motivation for solidarity and cooperation for development in many places around the world. Photo: VNA
The General Secretary stated that ASEAN is the starting point and premise for Vietnam to integrate more and more deeply into the region and the world. Vietnam has established diplomatic relations with 194 countries, is a member of more than 70 regional and international forums, is one of the 40 largest economies in the world, and is one of the top 20 economies in the world in terms of attracting foreign investment and trade scale. Vietnam has established comprehensive partnerships, strategic partnerships, and comprehensive strategic partnerships with 35 countries...
"Vietnam understands that along with increasing status comes increasing responsibility towards the ASEAN family, regional friends and issues of common concern to the international community," the General Secretary affirmed.
The General Secretary said that these great achievements of historical significance are an important foundation for Vietnam to enter a new era - the era of national development. Vietnam is determined to pursue the target of a breakthrough growth of 8% in 2025 and double-digit growth in the following years, turning the country into a modern industrialized country by 2030 and a developed, high-income country by 2045.
Vietnam is ready to make more active and proactive contributions to world politics, the global economy and human civilization. In particular, identifying ASEAN as a multilateral cooperation mechanism with direct and top importance, Vietnam will promote its sense of responsibility, actively contribute to the common work of the association with the motto of creativity in thinking, innovation in approach, flexibility in implementation, efficiency in approach and determination in action.
General Secretary To Lam and his wife, along with ASEAN Secretary General Kao Kim Hourn and his wife, cut the cake to celebrate 30 years of Vietnam joining ASEAN. Photo: VNA
The General Secretary expressed "with the aspiration of a peace-loving nation, believing that peace is the foundation for development. Inheriting the heroic and humane tradition of the nation " Connecting the two countries in peace; forever extinguishing the fire of war", "Using great justice to defeat cruelty; using humanity to replace violence ". Vietnam persists in the "four no's" defense policy.
Standing at a new historical starting point, Vietnam and ASEAN are moving towards ambitious goals. In the next development journey with new expectations for ASEAN, Vietnam is more aware of its responsibility to actively participate and contribute more to the common work.
"Vietnam will continue to join hands with ASEAN countries to realize ASEAN's historic mission and spread ASEAN's success stories," said the General Secretary.
Vietnamnet.vn
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/tong-bi-thu-asean-la-diem-khoi-dau-tien-de-de-de-viet-nam-hoi-nhap-2379155.html
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