Keyword: "AFF 2026"

AFF 2026 is a testament to Vietnam’s ability to pursue a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, and deeper international integration. The forum’s agenda also demonstrated the host country’s organisational capacity in broadening dialogue beyond the government level, bringing together representatives of major ASEAN cities, youth groups, and the private sector, said Dr. Gnel Rattha, President of the Cambodia–Russia Business Association.

Vietnam and Timor-Leste possess substantial potential and complementary strengths to broaden cooperation for the benefit of their people and to contribute to a stable, resilient and sustainable region.

ASEAN must continuously enhance its adaptability, resilience and strategic autonomy as it faces mounting challenges. In the immediate term, it should realise commitments under the Declaration on Responding to the Middle East crisis adopted at the 48th ASEAN Summit in May 2026.

Speaking to a Vietnam News Agency correspondent in Kuala Lumpur, Dr. Julia Roknifard, senior lecturer in international relations at Taylor’s University in Malaysia, said Vietnam has successfully integrated its foreign policy orientations and strategic vision towards 2030 into the forum agenda.

Vietnam’s continued hosting of the event demonstrates its goodwill and sense of responsibility in contributing to discussions on regional issues and to ASEAN’s overall development, he noted, adding that it reflects Vietnam’s growing influence within the bloc and its rising stature in the region and the world.

The opening session of the ASEAN Future Forum (AFF) 2026 took place on June 9 in Hanoi, featuring a keynote address by Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung, alongside remarks from leaders of ASEAN member states, senior United Nations officials and recorded messages from foreign ministers.

Speaking to the Vietnam News Agency in Moscow, Assoc. Prof. Ekaterina Koldunova, Acting Director of the ASEAN Centre at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), said the forum has emerged as a prominent platform for discussing Asia’s most pressing issues within a wider international and geopolitical framework.

In his welcoming remarks, Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung said Vietnam established the forum with the aim of creating an open, substantive and forward-looking space for dialogue among ASEAN member states and international partners.

Beni Sukadis, Senior Coordinator at the Indonesian Institute for Defence and Strategic Studies (Lesperssi), described the AFF as a regional platform for policy innovation where new concepts can be explored, refined and developed before being translated into concrete action.

Deputy Foreign Minister Nguyen Manh Cuong told reporters that the forum, first proposed by the Vietnamese Prime Minister at the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Indonesia in September 2023, has been successfully organised in 2024 and 2025, gradually establishing itself as an open dialogue platform that effectively complements ASEAN’s formal processes.