The visit affirms Vietnam's strong commitment to ASEAN.

At the invitation of the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Chairman of the Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra) Party Prabowo Subianto, and ASEAN Secretary General Kao Kim Hourn, on March 9, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam and his wife Ngo Phuong Ly, along with a high-ranking Vietnamese delegation, paid a State visit to the Republic of Indonesia and an official visit to the ASEAN Secretariat.

General Secretary To Lam and his wife are on a state visit to Indonesia, an official visit to the ASEAN Secretariat and an official visit to Singapore. (Photo: Tuan Anh)

Ambassador Ton Thi Ngoc Huong, Head of the Vietnamese Delegation to ASEAN, emphasized that the visit of General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam to the ASEAN Secretariat is considered a historic visit, as this is the first time that the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the highest leader of Vietnam, has visited the ASEAN Headquarters and the ASEAN Secretariat. The visit takes place at a particularly meaningful time when Vietnam celebrates 30 years of joining ASEAN and in the context that ASEAN is in a transitional period to complete the implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, towards the adoption and implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision for the new period until 2045.

The visit is an affirmation of Vietnam's strong respect and commitment to ASEAN. During 30 years of being a member of ASEAN, Vietnam has always affirmed its position as a proactive, positive and responsible member, fulfilling all responsibilities and duties of ASEAN membership. It has actively and meaningfully contributed to orienting the future development path for ASEAN. With the General Secretary 's historic visit to the ASEAN Secretariat, Vietnam once again affirmed that ASEAN is continuously respected in Vietnam's foreign policy.

According to the Ambassador, the visit will contribute to opening up new cooperation spaces between Vietnam and ASEAN member countries, between Vietnam and ASEAN member countries and partners, and together contribute to building towards the goal of forming a strong, dynamic and prosperous ASEAN Community as a common home for 670 million people of countries in the region.

Regarding Vietnam's contributions to ASEAN's common goals and activities within the framework of the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN (CPR), Ambassador Ton Thi Ngoc Huong said that Vietnam's 30-year journey to ASEAN was marked by memorable milestones, including the three terms Vietnam held as ASEAN Chair in 1998, 2010 and most recently in 2020. With this important role, Vietnam has contributed to ASEAN in setting out very important development orientations for the ASEAN Community through transitional stages, while overcoming the difficulties and challenges that ASEAN has faced. Especially in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused serious impacts on countries in the region and on the ASEAN community. These successes have been recognized by ASEAN member countries, ASEAN's friends and partners.

The Ambassador emphasized that Vietnam also actively participated in shaping important development directions of ASEAN, such as the Hanoi Action Plan in 1998, right after Vietnam became a member of ASEAN; the ASEAN Community Vision 2020, the decision to form the ASEAN Community in 2003, the decision to build and adopt the ASEAN Charter in 2007; the milestone of completing the ASEAN Community in 2015 and promoting ASEAN's perspective on the Indo-Pacific. These are important documents that help guide ASEAN's development path.

In addition, in its role as coordinator of ASEAN relations with many important partners, Vietnam has contributed many ideas and initiatives to deepen and expand the multifaceted, effective and substantive cooperation between ASEAN and these partners. Vietnam is currently acting as coordinator of two ASEAN partners, New Zealand and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Delegates at the 75th meeting of the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) Task Force. (Source: VNA)

According to Ambassador Ton Thi Ngoc Huong, within the framework of the ASEAN Committee of Permanent Representatives, Vietnam has coordinated with the permanent delegations of ASEAN countries and the ASEAN Secretariat to promote the improvement of the effectiveness of coordination, supervision, and implementation of agreements, programs, and cooperation projects of ASEAN and between ASEAN and its partners. In addition, it ensures the smooth and effective operation of the ASEAN apparatus, contributing to promoting the development of the ASEAN Community in a truly effective, practical, and dynamic manner.

Vietnam will continue to make greater efforts to work with ASEAN member countries to realize the goals for ASEAN in the new period, implement the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and help ASEAN firmly overcome challenges in the context of a rapidly changing and unpredictable regional and international environment.

The Ambassador believes that with the 30th anniversary of joining ASEAN and the foundations that Vietnam has built since participating in ASEAN, the role, position, image and voice of Vietnam will continue to be enhanced, recognized and highly appreciated by ASEAN countries and international friends.

Regarding Vietnam's orientation to work with ASEAN countries to concretize the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 with the goal of building a sustainable, creative, dynamic and people-centered ASEAN, the Ambassador said that the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 is expected to be adopted in 2025 as a document guiding ASEAN's development in the 20-year period from 2025 to 2045.

The vision will include specific strategic plans to implement cooperation on the three pillars of the ASEAN Community, namely the Political-Security Community, the Economic Community, and the Socio-Cultural Community, complemented by a strategic plan on connectivity and a work plan on narrowing the development gap within ASEAN.

There are five major plans that ASEAN member countries, including Vietnam, will have to ensure effective implementation to materialize the ASEAN Community Vision 2045. In its current role as Chair of the ASEAN Task Force on Narrowing the Development Gap in ASEAN, Vietnam will preside over the development and approval of the work plan on narrowing the development gap in ASEAN.

According to the Ambassador, the workload to realize the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 is enormous, requiring commitment in terms of political will and resources from ASEAN member countries. Vietnam will closely coordinate with ASEAN countries to ensure that all goals and action lines that have been built in the plans to realize the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 are implemented at the national level.

Vietnam will need to integrate all cooperation activities at the ASEAN level with Vietnam's national development planning programs to ensure Vietnam's membership obligations in ASEAN and the goals agreed by ASEAN, towards realizing the vision for 2045.