Thetargets include building a strong community, bringing pragmatic interests to ASEANcitizens, fostering intra economic connectivity and enhancing citizen-to-citizenlinks by values, the Deputy FM said at an international seminar on geopoliticalchanges in Asia-Pacific and ASEAN’s 50-year path in Hanoi on June 9.
Theseefforts would help increase the vitality of ASEAN as well as its centrality inthe region, he noted.
ReviewingASEAN’s development over the past half a century, Dung said with five initialmembers, ASEAN has grown up into a comprehensive regional cooperation group withten member nations, which operates on the basis of the ASEAN Charter.
Hedescribed the formation of the ASEAN Community on December 31, 2015 with threepillars of politics-security, economy, and culture-society as a breakthrough,helping the bloc firmly step into a new period.
PeterGirke, Director of Konrad Adenauer Foundation, said over the past 50 years,ASEAN has brought benefits to not only its member countries but also theircitizens, highlighting common consensus as the great achievement recorded bythe nations.
AssociateProfessor Dr. Nguyen Vu Tung, Director of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam,underscored ASEAN’s role in connecting and promoting regional cooperation, aswell as its successes and vitality in the context of complex developments inAsia-Pacific.
Aspart of activities within the national programme marking the 50th founding anniversary of ASEAN, the seminar was jointly held by the DiplomaticAcademy of Vietnam, the ASEAN Department of the Foreign Ministry and the KonradAdenauer Foundation. -VNA