Prime
Minister Nguyen Tan Dung is confident of a successful term ahead as Vietnam
assumes the role President of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) beginning January 1, 2010.
The Government leader pledged
to mobilise all available resources to fulfil the task in a speech delivered on
December 31. He stated:
“Vietnam
will hold the position of the ASEAN President [for] one year from January 1,
2010. It is also the year when Vietnam
will mark its 15th anniversary of the ASEAN membership. It is a great honour
but also a huge responsibility. We [are] well prepared and [are] now ready to
fulfil the task in the best possible way.”
“Experiencing over 40 years of development, ASEAN
has so far turned itself into a dynamic growing bloc of ten members in
Southeast Asia, which have cooperated in a large range of areas, politically,
economically, culturally and socially. The organisation has made considerable
contributions to strengthening and developing peace, stability and cooperation
in Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific. In
addition, ASEAN has established trustworthy partnerships with all giant nations
and important blocs in the world as well as played an important role in
regional and international frameworks of cooperation.”
“Vietnam has placed relations with ASEAN a
strategic priority, considering it a motivation and a major backup to the
national construction and defence. We always respect ASEAN cooperation as an
important part of the nation’s multilateral and diversified external policy
towards regional and global integration. Over the past 15 years, we have always
taken part and made considerable contributions to the association. In the new
stage, we plan to join in ASEAN cooperation in the principle of ‘active,
initiative and responsible,’ thus contributing to turning ASEAN into a closer
and stronger alliance.”
“Vietnam holds the position of ASEAN President at
a point the grouping is entering a new stage of development, a transitional
year of the five-year roadmap towards an ASEAN Community by 2015. The Charter
and the Roadmap towards the ASEAN Community, which have been overwhelmingly
approved by ASEAN leaders, have become a vision and framework of action for
ASEAN. Its overall goal is to build the ASEAN Community on the basis of the
three pillars of politics-security, economy and socio-culture and translate the
ASEAN Charter into reality. That is the reason for member countries to
overwhelmingly agree with Vietnam
on the theme of the ASEAN presidency year-2010 ‘Looking towards ASEAN
Community: From Vision to Action.’ It will be the ASEAN’s policy throughout
2010.”
“Prompted from this orientation, Vietnam will
focus and prioritise the ASEAN presidency year-2010 on strengthening ASEAN
solidarity and alliance, implementing in an effective way the Charter and
Roadmap towards an ASEAN Community, promoting in both width and depth relations
with dialogue partners and promoting and increasing ASEAN’s international
prestige. Other priorities include stronger cooperation within ASEAN and
between ASEAN and dialogue partners in coping with global challenges such as
[the] economic and financial crisis, food and energy security, climate change,
natural disasters and epidemics”.
“Along with holding the position of ASEAN
President, 2010 will also be a year of numerous major domestic and diplomatic
events for Vietnam,
especially the grand celebration of the Thang Long-Hanoi Millennium
Anniversary. For this reason, we should take advantage of major ASEAN events in
Vietnam
to promote the national image on land, people, cultural traditions and history
as well as the national potential. We should also promote the image of a
Vietnam making progress in renewal and in dynamic growth with socio-political
stability and pursuing an external policy of independence, self-reliance,
peace, friendship and cooperation with all other countries as well as taking
initiative in global integration.”
“The Vietnamese Government and people are highly
determined and will mobilise all necessary resources to fulfil the task of the
ASEAN President in an effort to leave impression on Vietnam in all fields, from
the content of activities to information campaigns, logistics and security. I
earnestly call on ministries, industries and local administrations, especially
the National Committee for ASEAN-2010, to further uphold the sense of
responsibility, activeness, flexibility and creativeness in order to fulfil the
task and targets.”
“On behalf of the Government and people of
Vietnam, which will hold the ASEAN Presidency, I would like to take this
opportunity to convey a message of peace, solidarity, friendship and
cooperation for development to leaders and people of ASEAN member countries,
the bloc’s partners and international friends. An ASEAN making great efforts to
build a common community is in need of assistance and support from you all in
the interest of peace, stability and development in the region and the world as
a whole. I also expect strong support for Vietnam from other ASEAN members, partners
and the international community to make the ASEAN Presidency Year-2010 a great
success.”
Dung concluded his speech with best wishes for a
successful New Year to ASEAN./.
