Joining the ASEAN has brought about practical benefits to Vietnam in itsdrive for national construction and security, Deputy Prime Minister andForeign Minister Pham Gia Khiem wrote in an article reviewing the past15 years of Vietnam’s ASEAN membership, in which he also talked aboutASEAN’s future targets, including establishing an ASEAN Community by2015.
The article reads as follows:
On July 28, 1995, Vietnam’s national flag was hoisted at a ceremonyheld in Brunei to admit Vietnam as the Association of SoutheastAsian Nations (ASEAN)’s 7th member, marking a milestone in thecountry’s regional and global integration as well as in ASEAN’sdevelopment.
Since then Vietnam has taken anactive part in the association’s affairs and has made many contributionsto its development. Membership also brought about practical benefits toVietnam in its drive for national construction and security.
The 15th anniversary of Vietnam entering ASEAN is a good time toreview what has been done and what is still to do, first and foremostis the creation of an ASEAN Community by 2015.
Vietnam ’s impact on ASEAN
Over the past 15 years, Vietnam has actively taken part in ASEANaffairs and has made many important contributions to the association in anumber of cooperative fields including defining the way ahead for theassociation, its cooperation development and major policies, which hashelped to strengthen solidarity and cooperation amongst ASEAN membersand raise the association’s status in the international arena.
With a desire for a peaceful, stable and prosperous region, Vietnamand other ASEAN members have overcome their differences, settledoutstanding issues left over by history and boosted comprehensivecooperation in a spirit of friendship and solidarity.
Vietnam joining the bloc in 1995 was seen as an important stepin the association’s plans to expand and develop. As soon as Vietnambecame a member of ASEAN, the country actively promoted the admission ofLaos , Myanmar and Cambodia to ASEAN, which helped to create anASEAN that included all 10 Southeast Asian countries and open a newchapter of solidarity, friendship and cooperation in the region. A 10member ASEAN was an important development for the association, as thislaid the foundations for ASEAN to become a significant regional blocthat now plays an important role in the Southeast Asian and Asia-Pacificregions.
Vietnam ’s influence is clearlyshown in the organising of several important ASEAN events as well as inASEAN’s decision making. After only three years of ASEAN membership,Vietnam had made a deep impression on the bloc as well as internationalfriends by successfully hosting the 6 th ASEAN Summit in Hanoi inDecember 1998. The summit adopted the Hanoi Plan of Action (HPA) thatfocused on the 2020 ASEAN Vision, which has helped ASEAN to maintainunity and cooperation within the group and strengthened theassociation’s standing in the world after ASEAN was badly hit by thefinancial and economic crisis in 1997 and 1998.
Vietnam then successfully took over the chair of the ASEAN StandingCommittee from July 2000 to July 2001, leading other ASEAN members toadopt the Hanoi Statement on narrowing the development gap at the 34 thASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in July 2001.
Vietnam also plays an important role in driving ASEAN into a newstage of development, leading to an ASEAN Community by 2015, that willoperate under the ASEAN Charter with the three main principles ofPolitics- Security, Economics and Culture-Society.
This year, Vietnam has taken over the chair of ASEAN for the secondtime. With the theme “Towards an ASEAN community: From Vision toAction”, Vietnam is doing its utmost to coordinate and acceleratemeasures to implement the ASEAN Charter and ASEAN’s plans to build anASEAN Community and expand and deepen cooperative ties between the blocand its partners, while strengthening and maintaining ASEAN’s centralrole in the process of regional cooperation. The success of the 16 thASEAN Summit in Hanoi in April 2010 and ministerial level meetingsincluding the 43 rd ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and other relatedmeetings in Hanoi in July are an indication of Vietnam ’s effortsto promote moves that encourage the formation of an ASEAN Community.
Deputy PM Khiem said that the past 15years have shown that the Party and the State’s tactical decision tojoin ASEAN was a good move, made at the right time and was significantin both historical and strategic terms.
Becoming part of ASEANhas already brought and will bring in the future a great deal of benefitin the fields of politics, security, economics, culture, social affairsand external relations.
Above all, it has helped Vietnam toretain an international climate that is favourable for its developmentand security as well as facilitate its regional and internationalintegration, said Khiem.
Vietnam’s joining of ASEAN has helped tomaintain a peaceful and stable environment and create the best possibleconditions for cooperation and development in Southeast Asia bybuilding an integrated and closely connected ASEAN Community with a moreimportant role in the region and shepherding new relationships amongstmember countries.
Integrating and participating in ASEAN hasenabled Vietnam to gain real socio-cultural and commercial-economicbenefits, which have aided the country’s socio-economic development, theDeputy PM emphasised.
Becoming part of ASEAN’s internal economicnetwork as well as free trade agreements that the group signed with itspartners, has helped Vietnam to attract an increasing volume offoreign investment capital and at the same time given it access to othermarkets, both regionally and globally.
Moreover, Vietnam hasgained access to scientific and technological advances and modernmethods of management plus it has been helped to enhance itsinstitutional capacity and ability to handle transnational issues infields such as the environment, natural disasters, diseases and climatechange, said Khiem.
He confirmed that ASEAN membership hasenabled Vietnam to broaden its horizons and step up cooperation withits ASEAN partners, especially the bigger countries, whileparticipating more in inter-regional or international cooperationframeworks. These include ASEAN+3, the East Asia Summit (EAS), theAsia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum, the Asia-Europe Meeting(ASEM) and the World Trade Organisation (WTO), which have heightened itsrole and prestige in the international arena.
At present,Vietnam is concentrating on an all-out effort to fulfill its task asASEAN Chair in 2010. This will contribute to realising ASEAN’s goals,further the country’s international role and highlight Vietnam as adynamic country that pursues a foreign policy of independence,self-reliance, peace, cooperation and development.
As an integralpart of ASEAN, Vietnam will continue to work side by side with itspartners to ensure a brighter future for the ASEAN Community, saidKhiem./.
The article reads as follows:
On July 28, 1995, Vietnam’s national flag was hoisted at a ceremonyheld in Brunei to admit Vietnam as the Association of SoutheastAsian Nations (ASEAN)’s 7th member, marking a milestone in thecountry’s regional and global integration as well as in ASEAN’sdevelopment.
Since then Vietnam has taken anactive part in the association’s affairs and has made many contributionsto its development. Membership also brought about practical benefits toVietnam in its drive for national construction and security.
The 15th anniversary of Vietnam entering ASEAN is a good time toreview what has been done and what is still to do, first and foremostis the creation of an ASEAN Community by 2015.
Vietnam ’s impact on ASEAN
Over the past 15 years, Vietnam has actively taken part in ASEANaffairs and has made many important contributions to the association in anumber of cooperative fields including defining the way ahead for theassociation, its cooperation development and major policies, which hashelped to strengthen solidarity and cooperation amongst ASEAN membersand raise the association’s status in the international arena.
With a desire for a peaceful, stable and prosperous region, Vietnamand other ASEAN members have overcome their differences, settledoutstanding issues left over by history and boosted comprehensivecooperation in a spirit of friendship and solidarity.
Vietnam joining the bloc in 1995 was seen as an important stepin the association’s plans to expand and develop. As soon as Vietnambecame a member of ASEAN, the country actively promoted the admission ofLaos , Myanmar and Cambodia to ASEAN, which helped to create anASEAN that included all 10 Southeast Asian countries and open a newchapter of solidarity, friendship and cooperation in the region. A 10member ASEAN was an important development for the association, as thislaid the foundations for ASEAN to become a significant regional blocthat now plays an important role in the Southeast Asian and Asia-Pacificregions.
Vietnam ’s influence is clearlyshown in the organising of several important ASEAN events as well as inASEAN’s decision making. After only three years of ASEAN membership,Vietnam had made a deep impression on the bloc as well as internationalfriends by successfully hosting the 6 th ASEAN Summit in Hanoi inDecember 1998. The summit adopted the Hanoi Plan of Action (HPA) thatfocused on the 2020 ASEAN Vision, which has helped ASEAN to maintainunity and cooperation within the group and strengthened theassociation’s standing in the world after ASEAN was badly hit by thefinancial and economic crisis in 1997 and 1998.
Vietnam then successfully took over the chair of the ASEAN StandingCommittee from July 2000 to July 2001, leading other ASEAN members toadopt the Hanoi Statement on narrowing the development gap at the 34 thASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in July 2001.
Vietnam also plays an important role in driving ASEAN into a newstage of development, leading to an ASEAN Community by 2015, that willoperate under the ASEAN Charter with the three main principles ofPolitics- Security, Economics and Culture-Society.
This year, Vietnam has taken over the chair of ASEAN for the secondtime. With the theme “Towards an ASEAN community: From Vision toAction”, Vietnam is doing its utmost to coordinate and acceleratemeasures to implement the ASEAN Charter and ASEAN’s plans to build anASEAN Community and expand and deepen cooperative ties between the blocand its partners, while strengthening and maintaining ASEAN’s centralrole in the process of regional cooperation. The success of the 16 thASEAN Summit in Hanoi in April 2010 and ministerial level meetingsincluding the 43 rd ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and other relatedmeetings in Hanoi in July are an indication of Vietnam ’s effortsto promote moves that encourage the formation of an ASEAN Community.
Deputy PM Khiem said that the past 15years have shown that the Party and the State’s tactical decision tojoin ASEAN was a good move, made at the right time and was significantin both historical and strategic terms.
Becoming part of ASEANhas already brought and will bring in the future a great deal of benefitin the fields of politics, security, economics, culture, social affairsand external relations.
Above all, it has helped Vietnam toretain an international climate that is favourable for its developmentand security as well as facilitate its regional and internationalintegration, said Khiem.
Vietnam’s joining of ASEAN has helped tomaintain a peaceful and stable environment and create the best possibleconditions for cooperation and development in Southeast Asia bybuilding an integrated and closely connected ASEAN Community with a moreimportant role in the region and shepherding new relationships amongstmember countries.
Integrating and participating in ASEAN hasenabled Vietnam to gain real socio-cultural and commercial-economicbenefits, which have aided the country’s socio-economic development, theDeputy PM emphasised.
Becoming part of ASEAN’s internal economicnetwork as well as free trade agreements that the group signed with itspartners, has helped Vietnam to attract an increasing volume offoreign investment capital and at the same time given it access to othermarkets, both regionally and globally.
Moreover, Vietnam hasgained access to scientific and technological advances and modernmethods of management plus it has been helped to enhance itsinstitutional capacity and ability to handle transnational issues infields such as the environment, natural disasters, diseases and climatechange, said Khiem.
He confirmed that ASEAN membership hasenabled Vietnam to broaden its horizons and step up cooperation withits ASEAN partners, especially the bigger countries, whileparticipating more in inter-regional or international cooperationframeworks. These include ASEAN+3, the East Asia Summit (EAS), theAsia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum, the Asia-Europe Meeting(ASEM) and the World Trade Organisation (WTO), which have heightened itsrole and prestige in the international arena.
At present,Vietnam is concentrating on an all-out effort to fulfill its task asASEAN Chair in 2010. This will contribute to realising ASEAN’s goals,further the country’s international role and highlight Vietnam as adynamic country that pursues a foreign policy of independence,self-reliance, peace, cooperation and development.
As an integralpart of ASEAN, Vietnam will continue to work side by side with itspartners to ensure a brighter future for the ASEAN Community, saidKhiem./.
