Lao Ambassador to Vietnam Sengphet Houngboungnuang (Photo: VNA) In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency(VNA) on the occasion of the 40th and 41st ASEAN Summitsand Related Summits which are taking place in Cambodia from November 10-13, the Lao diplomat highlighted the improvement in living standards and the narroweddevelopment gap in the ten-member grouping.
Vietnam and Laos have supported each other insocio-economic development and investment promotion in respective countries,contributing to developing the bloc in a sustainable and stable manner,according to the ambassador.
The two countries have also played a proactive role in the drafting of many important documents in ASEAN, and especially in the building of theASEAN Community with the three pillars of the Political-Security Community, theEconomic Community and the Socio-Cultural Community.
Over the past time, apart from cooperation withinthe framework of ASEAN, the two countries have coordinated and cooperatedclosely in the ASEAN Sub-region, and participated in Mekong cooperationframeworks such as the Greater Mekong Sub-region and the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong EconomicCooperation Strategy (ACMECS), the ambassador said.
He noted that those important mechanisms have contributed toreducing poverty, raising people’s living standards, spurring economic growth, andpromoting trade and investment ties as well as people-to-people exchangesbetween countries in the ASEAN region and the world at large.
The diplomat pointed out that over the past yearsand even in 2022, ASEAN member countries and other nations worldwide have faceda host of new security challenges like economic and financial crises, naturaldisasters, climate change, food shortage and the COVID-19 outbreak.
Against the backdrop, the ASEAN nations and theirdevelopment partners have cooperated harmoniously and closely to cope with thechallenges, supported each other in economic recovery, and worked together to further materialise the2025 ASEAN Community Vision.
Despite the widespread outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,ASEAN has remained an important region with continuous, stable economicdevelopment, the diplomat continued, adding that the bloc attracted 174 billionUSD in foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2021, up 42% year-on-year.
Many economic sectors in the region have postedmarked recovery and development, particularly science-technology, digitaleconomy and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.
The tourism industry has recovered and been growingeven stronger as the ASEAN member countries have adopted sound policies, hesaid, noting that visa exemption for citizens from the ASEAN member countries whentravelling within the grouping is an important factorto restore the regional tourism sector.
To accelerate the implementation of ASEAN 2022’stheme – “ASEAN A.C.T: Addressing Challenges Together,” in the spirit ofsolidarity for sustainable development, the ambassador stressed the need to follow the bloc’s principles of consultation and consensus, or the ASEAN Way, with the involvement of all member countries.
The principles are the fundamental, which have beenput into place since the foundation of the grouping, he stressed.
Sengphet Houngboungnuang also suggested ASEAN persistentlymaintain its centrality and the principles regarding cooperation with other countriesas set in the ASEAN Charter, including those on expansion, inclusiveness andnon-discrimination in cooperation with outside partners.
ASEAN should carry forward its important role byutilising its mechanisms to promote mutual trust and understanding, for the mission of peace, stability and cooperation, for development in the region and theworld, he said./.
The diplomat pointed out that over the past yearsand even in 2022, ASEAN member countries and other nations worldwide have faceda host of new security challenges like economic and financial crises, naturaldisasters, climate change, food shortage and the COVID-19 outbreak.
Against the backdrop, the ASEAN nations and theirdevelopment partners have cooperated harmoniously and closely to cope with thechallenges, supported each other in economic recovery, and worked together to further materialise the2025 ASEAN Community Vision.
Despite the widespread outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,ASEAN has remained an important region with continuous, stable economicdevelopment, the diplomat continued, adding that the bloc attracted 174 billionUSD in foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2021, up 42% year-on-year.
Many economic sectors in the region have postedmarked recovery and development, particularly science-technology, digitaleconomy and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.
The tourism industry has recovered and been growingeven stronger as the ASEAN member countries have adopted sound policies, hesaid, noting that visa exemption for citizens from the ASEAN member countries whentravelling within the grouping is an important factorto restore the regional tourism sector.
To accelerate the implementation of ASEAN 2022’stheme – “ASEAN A.C.T: Addressing Challenges Together,” in the spirit ofsolidarity for sustainable development, the ambassador stressed the need to follow the bloc’s principles of consultation and consensus, or the ASEAN Way, with the involvement of all member countries.
The principles are the fundamental, which have beenput into place since the foundation of the grouping, he stressed.
Sengphet Houngboungnuang also suggested ASEAN persistentlymaintain its centrality and the principles regarding cooperation with other countriesas set in the ASEAN Charter, including those on expansion, inclusiveness andnon-discrimination in cooperation with outside partners.
ASEAN should carry forward its important role byutilising its mechanisms to promote mutual trust and understanding, for the mission of peace, stability and cooperation, for development in the region and theworld, he said./.
VNA
