The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) celebrates the 52nd founding anniversary on August 8. (Photo: regulationasia.com)Jakarta (VNA) – Vietnamese DeputyPrime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh attended a ceremony celebrating the 52nd founding anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Jakarta, Indonesia, on August 8.
IndonesianPresident Joko Widodo delivered his remarks at the event before leaving for officials visits to Malaysia andSingapore.
Also presentat the ceremony were ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi, foreign ministers of ASEAN memberstates, ambassadors-heads of permanent delegations to ASEAN, and representatives of diplomatic corpsin Indonesia.
On this occasion, the ASEAN Secretariat inaugurated its new building, which was built next to thecurrent ASEAN Secretariat building, using environmentally-friendly technologies andarchitectural styles boasting a harmonious combination of all ASEAN membercountries’ cultures.
The ASEAN was established on August 8, 1967 in Bangkok,Thailand, by five countries, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines,Singapore and Thailand. Brunei joined in 1984, Vietnam in 1995, Laos andMyanmar in 1997, and Cambodia in 1999.
Officially becoming the ASEAN Community on December 31,2015, the group is continuing to implement orientations and initiatives todevelop an ASEAN of self-reliance, creativity andsustainable development amid quick changes in the region and the world.
The regional bloc has entered the 4th year ofimplementing the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, with a focus on implementingmaster plans in all the three pillars of politics-security, economy andculture-society; expanding and deepening foreign relations, strengtheningASEAN's central role in the shaping the regional structure; strengtheningconnectivity and narrowing the development gap through the MasterPlan on ASEAN Connectivity (MPAC) 2025 and the 3rd periodInitiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI)’s work plan.–VNA
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