Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh received ASEAN Secretary General Kao Kim Hourn during his working visit and participation in the ASEAN Future Forum in Vietnam, April 2024. (Photo: Nguyen Hong)

Unity and strength from within

Dr. Kao Kim Hourn emphasized that ASEAN's most outstanding achievement after nearly 6 decades is maintaining peace and security, as well as expanding to 10 countries, and soon to 11 countries with the admission of Timor-Leste, thereby bringing together the entire Southeast Asian region into one community.

According to the ASEAN Secretary General, which was established during the height of the Cold War, ASEAN today has a strong regional and global role, holds a central position in regional structures and now also has legal status with the adoption of the ASEAN Charter in 2008.

“The fact that all 10 member countries now have Ambassadors - Permanent Representatives to ASEAN, in addition to Ambassadors of dialogue partners and concurrent Ambassadors of many other countries, shows that ASEAN is developing strongly in terms of diplomatic relations. In terms of the community, ASEAN has witnessed increasing connectivity and people-to-people exchanges; ASEAN citizens can now travel freely within the region without a visa,” the ASEAN Secretary-General emphasized.

It is clear that the ASEAN “ship” is confidently moving forward with strong internal strength. However, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn believes that ASEAN is playing an increasingly important role in global processes, so ASEAN must not only look inward but also outward. More than ever, ASEAN needs to maintain its central role, strengthen partnerships and cooperation mechanisms led by ASEAN.

ASEAN-led mechanisms include the East Asia Summit (EAS), the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the ASEAN+3, ASEAN+1, the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM+) mechanisms, etc. The ASEAN Secretary-General believes that it is important for partners to participate in and support ASEAN's core values.

In the context of many complex and unpredictable developments in the region and the world today, in order to maintain its central role, according to Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, ASEAN must unite within the bloc and maintain core principles so that ASEAN can be truly strong from within. The important core values ​​and principles that the ASEAN Secretary-General emphasized are consensus when ASEAN makes decisions. In addition, there is the principle of solidarity and unity. ASEAN also needs to maintain the principles of transparency, openness and inclusiveness. The reason is that transparency, openness and inclusiveness will help build trust and currently ASEAN needs a lot of trust in the region.

“We cannot allow a trust deficit to persist. Therefore, ASEAN must continue to work with all partners to maintain and promote peace, stability and prosperity in the region. At the same time, we must work towards ensuring that Southeast Asia is completely free of nuclear weapons and weapons of mass destruction,” Dr. Kao Kim Hourn stressed.

The 57th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and related meetings in Laos took place in the context of complicated developments in the world and the region. However, according to the ASEAN Secretary General, ASEAN member countries have reached consensus on many issues, demonstrating solidarity and trust as a prerequisite for ensuring ASEAN’s success; promoting relations between ASEAN and its partners, expanding cooperation in areas such as digital economy, green transformation, enhancing regional connectivity in terms of infrastructure, institutions and people, etc.

The countries spent a lot of time exchanging and sharing views and positions on international and regional issues of mutual concern, including the East Sea, Myanmar, the Middle East, the Korean Peninsula and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. During the conference, many documents and initiatives were promoted such as the ASEAN-UK Foreign Ministers’ Statement, the ASEAN-India Digital Future Fund, the Green Initiative and the ASEAN-EU Sustainable Connectivity Package, etc.

On the afternoon of April 22, within the framework of the ASEAN Future Forum 2024, at the Diplomatic Academy, a live dialogue session took place between ASEAN Secretary General Kao Kim Hourn and ASEAN youth with the theme: “ASEAN Youth – ASEAN Future: The role of youth in shaping the future of ASEAN”. In the photo: ASEAN Secretary General Kao Kim Hourn takes a selfie with the delegates attending. (Photo: Nguyen Hong)

Join the common "mission"

The year 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of Vietnam's accession to ASEAN. Looking back over the past three decades, the ASEAN Secretary-General said that Vietnam has made many contributions to the common development of ASEAN, notably its three times as ASEAN Chair (1998, 2010, 2020). There are many landmark documents of ASEAN named after Vietnam such as the Hanoi Plan of Action, the Hanoi Declaration on the ASEAN Community's Post-2025 Vision, and many other documents that are highly appreciated by ASEAN member countries.

In addition, the ASEAN Secretary General also emphasized Vietnam's contributions to regional peace, stability and security. Dr. Kao Kim Hourn said that maintaining regional peace and stability is extremely important to ASEAN and is one of ASEAN's most important "missions". Vietnam has a dialogue and diplomatic approach. Most recently, in April 2024, Vietnam successfully organized the ASEAN Future Forum, an initiative of Vietnam and held for the first time within the ASEAN framework to promote dialogue and diplomacy.

Although it is a 1.5 diplomatic channel, the ASEAN Future Forum has put forward many creative ideas for the next steps of ASEAN's development, contributing to the common development and prosperity of the region in the context of a complex and unpredictable world.

“In the economic pillar - the ASEAN Economic Community, Vietnam is also a key factor,” the ASEAN Secretary General affirmed. Vietnam attracts a lot of foreign direct investment, accounting for a large proportion of the total foreign investment in the region. Vietnam's economy's deep integration and strong growth not only have important significance for Vietnam's overall development but also contribute to the development of the entire ASEAN region, making ASEAN's economy increasingly stronger.

“I am impressed by Vietnam’s development, lifting many people out of poverty. Over the past 29 years, Vietnam’s GDP per capita has increased significantly. That is a big boost, an important contribution to the overall development of ASEAN,” the ASEAN Secretary General emphasized.

In the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community pillar, according to Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, Vietnam has also participated very actively through efforts to promote people-to-people connections, strengthen cooperation in public health, manage natural disaster risks, etc. “There are many areas in life that seem trivial and we often overlook. However, they are very important because they are related to people's lives and livelihoods. Cooperation is not only beneficial to the Vietnamese people but also to the people in the whole community,” Mr. Kao Kim Hourn affirmed. In recent times, Vietnam has also been active in promoting cooperation in the Mekong sub-region, narrowing the development gap for inclusive and sustainable development, especially in strategic infrastructure connectivity projects, helping to create positive changes in the socio-economic situation in poor and underdeveloped sub-regions of ASEAN.

Dr. Kao Kim Hourn said that like other members of the common house, Vietnam's role is to convey ASEAN's stories and ASEAN's voice. "I think Vietnam has made an important contribution to shaping ASEAN today, not only in the community or the region but also ASEAN's role in the international arena or in relations with partners such as the United Nations. We look forward to seeing Vietnam continue to strengthen its role and international position, contributing to the common development of ASEAN," the Secretary-General affirmed.