US supports ASEAN efforts to preserve rules-based order in Indo-Pacific

The US Ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Yohannes Abraham. (Photo: ANTARA)

Jakarta (VNA) - The US Ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Yohannes Abraham said the US supports the bloc's efforts to preserve the international rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific.

During an interview with ANTARA on May 26 in Jakarta, the ambassador affirmed that the US-ASEAN partnership, which has been running for 45 years, is based on shared values and principles, such as the international system of laws, agreements, and regulations, as well as the protection of the sovereign rights of nations.

"We've been grateful to work with ASEAN to promote, defend, and enhance that rules-based international system of laws, agreements, and principles. And we look forward to finding opportunities to do so in the future," he said.

ASEAN develops relations, dialogue, cooperation, and partnerships with countries and sub-regional, regional, and international organisations and institutions. The US began engaging in ASEAN as a dialogue partner in 1977.

Southeast Asia is an important and dynamic region, Abraham said. It has a central role in supporting the stability of the Indo-Pacific. Therefore, he added that the US will always work with and through ASEAN to create a peaceful, prosperous, and stable region.

"It is in the US' national interest to see ASEAN prosperous, see it independent, resilient, and we want to work with ASEAN for all of our shared benefits," he said./.

VNA