Vietnam strengthens ASEAN bloc through General Secretary To Lam's visit

In an interview with a reporter from the Economic and Urban newspaper at a regular press conference on March 20, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang highlighted the positive meanings from the State visits to Indonesia, Singapore and the official visit to the ASEAN Secretariat by General Secretary To Lam.

Citing the statement of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said that General Secretary To Lam's visits to Indonesia, Singapore and the ASEAN Secretariat were extremely successful.

"Political opinion in Indonesia and Singapore, the ASEAN Secretariat, as well as the regional and international community, including foreign press, all highly appreciated General Secretary To Lam's visit," said Ms. Pham Thu Hang.

General Secretary To Lam during his State visit to Indonesia on March 10. Photo: Tuan Anh/baoquocte.vn

Emphasizing the assessment of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son on the visits of General Secretary To Lam, the Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated:

"The visit has contributed to strengthening ASEAN's solidarity and central role in the regional structure. We can see that Indonesia and Singapore, as founding countries of ASEAN and the most developed economies in the bloc, and Indonesia is also a member of the G20 group, are important partners in the effort to maintain ASEAN's cohesion in the face of external challenges."

Ms. Pham Thu Hang said that the visit is also an opportunity for Vietnam, Indonesia and Singapore to share and exchange experiences in national development. In the overall foreign policy of Vietnam, the visit once again contributes to implementing the foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, diversification, multilateralization and being friends with all countries, giving priority to neighboring countries and ASEAN countries to implement the foreign policy of the 13th National Party Congress.

Previously, at the invitation of the President of Indonesia, Chairman of the Great Indonesia Movement Party Prabowo Subianto; ASEAN Secretary General Kao Kim Hourn; Singapore Prime Minister, Secretary General of the Singapore People's Action Party Lawrence Wong, General Secretary To Lam and his wife paid a State visit to Indonesia, an official visit to the ASEAN Secretariat and an official visit to Singapore from March 9-13.

The visit took place on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of Vietnam-Indonesia diplomatic relations and the 30th anniversary of Vietnam's accession to ASEAN, thereby affirming the strategic importance of the Southeast Asian region in Vietnam's foreign policy. Through the talks, General Secretary To Lam and the leaders of the two countries upgraded the relationship to the level of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, opening up new cooperation spaces in areas such as green economy, digital transformation and innovation.

General Secretary To Lam's visit not only strengthens political trust, but also promotes substantive cooperation, contributing to building a united and self-reliant ASEAN, while enhancing Vietnam's position in the international arena.

Source: https://kinhtedothi.vn/viet-nam-cung-co-khoi-asean-qua-chuyen-tham-cua-tong-bi-thu-to-lam.html