Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnam’s accession to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) three decades ago not only marked a pivotal moment in its own integration, but also contributed significantly to fostering unity and stability across the region, Singaporean Ambassador to Vietnam Jaya Ratnam has remarked.
Speaking to the Vietnam News Agency on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Vietnam’s membership in the bloc (28 July 1995 – 2025), Ratnam affirmed that Vietnam has consistently played a principled and pivotal role in safeguarding ASEAN’s centrality.
The bloc remains a top priority in Vietnam’s foreign policy, he noted. The country has taken proactive steps to ensure ASEAN leads in addressing both regional and global challenges, not merely in words, but through specific action.
The ambassador highlighted Vietnam’s 2020 ASEAN chairmanship as a clear demonstration of its leadership, particularly in fostering effective cooperation mechanisms to confront the COVID-19 pandemic.
He also pointed to the close collaboration between Vietnam and Singapore in advancing the ASEAN Power Grid, a key initiative for promoting green energy transition, attracting investment, creating high-quality jobs, and enhancing energy security in the region.
He praised Vietnam’s steadfast commitment to defending a rules-based international order amid growing global uncertainty and geopolitical tensions.
Reflecting on Vietnam’s entry into ASEAN in 1995, the diplomat observed that, for the first time, Southeast Asia became unified under a single bloc. Solidarity, mutual respect for sovereignty, and win-win cooperation are foundations for regional peace and stability, he stated.
Singapore and Vietnam, he added, share a common vision for a more integrated and competitive ASEAN market. As Singapore prepares to assume the ASEAN chairmanship in 2027, coinciding with the bloc’s 60th anniversary, it will work closely with Vietnam and other member states to deepen regional integration and reinforce ASEAN’s centrality and international standing.
Looking ahead, Ratnam said the Vietnam-Singapore partnership is poised for even stronger growth. Amid rising geopolitical tensions and mounting pressure on multilateralism, the two countries elevated ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership earlier this year – Singapore’s first of its kind with an ASEAN member, and one of just three such relationships globally.
He stressed this upgraded partnership opens vast potential for mutual collaboration in and benefit from such strategic fields as defence, security, and transnational crime prevention, to emerging ones like renewable energy, carbon credits, undersea cable connectivity, food security, and the digital economy.
These areas align with not only the sides’ priorities, but also ASEAN’s broader collective vision, the ambassador concluded./.
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