(VOVWORLD) - The Association of Southeast Asian Nations celebrated its 54th founding anniversary on August 8, 2021. Over the past more than half a century, ASEAN has grown steadily with remarkable achievements enabling more than 650 million people in the region to live in an environment of peace, stability, and development and a space for regional and global cooperation.
 ASEAN's flag hoisting cermeony in 2020 (Photo: VNA) |
Amid complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic, and other arising challenges in the region and the world, the Association of Southeast Asian Countries (ASEAN) has resolutely affirmed the spirit of solidarity and proactiveness to confront difficulties, overcome adversities, and gradually promoting economic recovery and better caring for people.
Over the last 26 years since joining ASEAN, Vietnam has become one of the active and responsible members, actively contributing to maintaining peace and prosperity in the region, and building a people-centered ASEAN Community.
Vietnam has shown its activeness and proactiveness in multilateralizing and diversifying its foreign relations in line with the need of cooperation and development for peace and prosperity of the whole region.
During the times of assuming the rotating chairs of ASEAN, Vietnam played its leading role with a series of initiatives and proposals.
In 2020, Vietnam's initiatives on cooperation in response to COVID-19 and promote post-pandemic recovery have been agreed upon and put into action by ASEAN members such as the ASEAN COVID-19 Response Fund, ASEAN Regional Reserve of Medical Supplies for Public Health Emergencies, ASEAN Strategic Framework for Public Health Emergencies, ASEAN comprehensive recovery framework and implementation plan, and ASEAN Declaration on an ASEAN Travel Corridor Arrangement. These initiatives have contributed to helping ASEAN stand firm against the COVID-19 pandemic and recover soon, ensuring ASEAN's development orientations.
Mr. Vu Ho, Head of the ASEAN Department of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Vietnam will continue to boost cooperation with regional countries and ASEAN partners despite the pandemic. Vietnam will participate in maintaining dialogues for regional cooperation amid the complications of the pandemic. As the situation in the region and around the world continues to get more complicated, Mr. Vu Ho said, Vietnam will continue to prioritize settling shared problems in the region including the Myanmar issue, the situation in the East Sea and competition between major countries.