Flag raising ceremony marks ASEAN Community’s formation
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs held an ASEAN flag raising ceremony in Hanoi on December 31 to celebrate the official formation of the ASEAN Community.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs holds the ASEAN flag raising ceremony in Hanoi on December 31 (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA)﷽ – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs held an ASEAN flag raising ceremony in Hanoi on December 31 to celebrate the official formation of the ASEAN Community.
The event took place in the presence of Moroccan Ambassador and head of the diplomatic corps El Houcine Fardani, representatives of the ASEAN nations’ embassies and partner and dialogue countries in Vietnam, and officials of Hanoi and Vietnamese ministries and sectors.
In his speech, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said December 31, 2015 is a historic day of all the 10 ASEAN member countries as after 48 years since the bloc’s foundation, the dream about a harmonious community of the Southeast Asian nations has come true.
Efforts towards peace, friendship, cooperation and development for all nations are the determinant of the bloc’s current success.
The ASEAN Community’s formation will lead the region’s cooperation and connectivity progress to a new phase that will benefit all the member nations and reflect the grouping’s centrality and proactiveness in response to the growing regional and global trend of cooperation and connectivity.
“As from today, under the roof of ASEAN, more than 600 million people in Southeast Asia will join hands in building a politically cohesive, economically integrated and socially responsible community”, he stressed.
He took this occasion to express acknowledgement and hope for the continued support and assistance from international friends, especially ASEAN’s partners, to the bloc in general and Vietnam in particular.
Vietnam is proud of having actively participated and contributed to the cooperation and building of the ASEAN Community since 1995. It has made all-out efforts to accelerate the national reform and regional and international integration during that two-decade ASEAN membership, Minh noted.
The Deputy PM added ASEAN has continually been and will remain a pillar in his country’s foreign policy, and Vietnam is committed to continuing to actively, proactively and responsibly engage in the grouping’s cooperation, helping with the successful development of the ASEAN Community.
The formation is just the initial step in the building of the ASEAN Community, which is a continuous and long-term process, he said, emphasising that an array of challenges are awaiting and much remains to be done.
The official voiced the belief that ASEAN will fulfill its goals and successfully build up a peaceful, stable, inclusive and intensively integrated community which is also a constructive player in the global community.-VNA
The ASEAN Community will officially take shape on December 31 this year with three pillars: the Political-Security Community, the Economic Community and the Socio-Cultural Community.
The ASEAN Community is set to formally take effect on December 31. It includes the three pillars which are economics, politics and security and socio-cultural components.
It is the “unity in diversity” that forms the common identity of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), said ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh in an interview with Vietnam News Agency
The birth of the ASEAN Community at the end of this year is expected to bring a number of pragmatic benefits to member countries and their people, Vietnam’s Ambassador to ASEAN has said.
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At the conference, participants reported that the Government has so far issued 28 decrees on the delegation of responsibilities and powers between the central Government and two-tier local administrations. Several localities have already piloted the new governance model.
Reality is the ultimate benchmark for success, he said, urging drafting agencies to work out policies that foster development, reduce bureaucratic hurdles, and respect practical conditions.
Under the official dispatch signed on June 20, ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, and chairpersons of provincial and municipal People’s Committees are requested to concentrate efforts on implementing core measures to ensure the smooth operations of the new administrative framework.
The Party chief underscored the need for the press to innovate relentlessly, evolve to keep pace with the country's development, transform into a truly professional, humanistic, and modern sector that serves the cause of the Party, the State, and the people on the path to national construction and development.
The UN Secretary-General praised Vietnam’s remarkable achievements in socio-economic development and international integration in recent years, noting that the country has emerged as a model in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), promoting international peace and security, and engaging in key UN processes.
Nghia affirmed that this is a milestone of special significance, affirming and honouring the the Vietnamese revolutionary press’s glorious tradition of 100 years of serving the revolutionary cause of the Party, serving the Fatherland, and serving the people.
The Party and State of Vietnam always attach great importance to and give top priority to the development of Vietnam–China relations. Vietnam is ready to work with the Chinese Party and State to further deepen the Comprehensive Strategic Cooperative Partnership and promote the building of the Vietnam-China community with a shared future that carries strategic significance.
Under the leadership of President Ho Chi Minh and the CPV, President Cuong said, the press has been a steadfast force on the ideological and cultural front, rallying the masses to pursue national aspirations.
NA Chairman Tran Thanh Man stressed the need to accelerate the application of artificial intelligence and smart teaching equipment, innovate teaching and assessment methods, and further improve the quality of formal education.
He also pledged that the NA will promote its ongoing supervision, making sure that every promise must lead to results, and every commitment must bring about real changes.
Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien welcomed the proposals put forward by the US side and reiterated Vietnam’s request for consideration of key areas of interest, including reciprocal tariff policies and access for Vietnamese key export products to the US market.
Deputy PM Le Thanh Long proposed countries promote shared values, including building trust, sincerity, and solidarity among nations and peoples; fostering cooperation spirit and responsible behaviour as well as upholding international law and the UN Charter; and placing people at the centre and as the goal, the key player, and the driving force of all policies.
The show, together with a grand parade to be held silmutaneously at Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi, will celebrate the 80th anniversary of the August Revolution, the National Day, and the General Staff of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA).
In particular, in April 2023, the two sides successfully carried out a joint operation that dismantled a major organised, transnational drug trafficking ring involving both Vietnamese and Cambodian suspects.
The Vietnamese Embassy in Israel is closely coordinating with relevant local agencies to stay informed and provide the utmost support possible for Vietnamese nationals.
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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs holds the ASEAN flag raising ceremony in Hanoi on December 31 (Photo: VNA)
