Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnamese Ambassador to theUS Ha Kim Ngoc chaired an online ceremony in Washington D.C. on the night of August20 marking the 53rd founding anniversary of ASEAN.

The ceremony was co-organised by the Vietnamese Embassy,with Vietnam being ASEAN Chair in 2020, in coordination with embassies of otherASEAN member countries in the US. It saw the attendance of US AssistantSecretary of State David Stilwell and Congressman Ted Yoho, Ranking Member ofthe House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Non-proliferation,among others.

Delegates heard Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc’smessage on the bloc’s 53rd anniversary and Vietnam’s 25 years ofASEAN membership.

From five initial member countries, ASEAN now has 10 membersthat cooperate with, respect, and understand each other and work towards peace,progress, and prosperity, the message said.

ASEAN has expanded relations with partners inside andoutside of the region, including world powers, which creates momentum fordialogue and cooperation for peace, security, stability, and development inAsia-Pacific and the world at large.

The PM called on ASEAN member countries to uphold thebloc’s basic principles, international law, and a cooperative spirit both multilaterallyand regionally.

He thanked other ASEAN members and partners for theirsupport to Vietnam in fulfilling the role of ASEAN Chair in 2020 in the contextof challenges facing the region and the world.

Ambassador Ngoc reviewed the bloc’s development and itscooperation with partners, including the US, in maintaining peace, security,stability, and prosperity in the Indian Ocean-Asia-Pacific.

Vietnam and other ASEAN countries appreciate the US’s supportfor efforts in building and developing the ASEAN Community, he said, and especiallyin the fight against COVID-19.

As ASEAN Chair, Vietnam has closely coordinated withother member countries to enhance unity and solidarity in the bloc and promotecooperation with partners, the ambassador said.

Vietnam believes in a bright future for the ASEAN-US strategicpartnership and hopes that the US will continue to engage in the region in aconstructive spirit, contributing to maintaining peace, security, stability,cooperation, respect for international law, and a rules-based order, he continued.

In his remarks, Stilwell passed on greetings from USSecretary of State Mike Pompeo, who affirmed that ASEAN and ASEAN-ledmechanisms form a significant part of the US’s vision for the Indo-Pacific.

The US backs ASEAN centrality, sovereignty, rule of law,and transparency, he emphasised, adding that the country will continue to standside-by-side with the bloc to strengthen the US-ASEAN strategic partnership.

He suggested the US and ASEAN promote connectivity,develop human resources, and continue to pursue sustainable development.

The two sides should upgrade the Lower MekongInitiative to the US-Mekong Partnership in order to deal with issues regardinginfrastructure, energy, water resources, and cross-border crime.

Amid the complexity of COVID-19, the US hopes for theestablishment of effective cooperation mechanisms in public health between theUS and ASEAN, with coordination from Indonesia.

He also lauded Vietnam’s ASEAN Chairmanship in thefirst half of this year, and expressed his hope that Vietnam and other ASEANcountries will reap even more success.

For his part, Yoho said the US stands ready tojoin hands with ASEAN and its member countries in economics, public health, andpoverty reduction./.