Paris (VNA) – The Vietnamese Embassy in France on August 8 held a ceremony in Paris to hoist the ASEAN flag to mark the bloc’s 57th founding anniversary (August 8, 1967 – 2024), with the attendance of ambassadors of the member countries, representatives of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, and ASEAN athletes participating in the Paris Olympic 2024.

In his remarks, Ambassador Dinh Toan Thang, also the current rotating chairperson of the ASEAN Committee in Paris (ACP), underscored the ceremony as a significant opportunity for bloc members to look back on their challenging but glorious journey so far, remember the previous generations, honour the past achievements, and prepare for the future.

ASEAN has proved its centrality and increasing prominence in the region and the world, he said, adding that the bloc has every reason to be proud of itself in maintaining a region of peace, stability, and cooperation for development. ASEAN pursues friendships and collaboration with all peace-loving nations, including France.

Expressing his hope for the organisation’s continued development and resilience in the future, he thanked France for positive contributions to its relations with the bloc in the past decades.

France’s designation as an ASEAN development partner in March 2021 marked a significant milestone, the diplomat noted with enthusiasm for the sides’ practical and effective collaborative efforts.

Ambassador Kham-Inh Khitchadeth of Laos - the ASEAN Chair for 2024 - commended Vietnam for organising the event. He affirmed the bloc’s centrality in promoting regional cooperation and acknowledged France’s valuable role as an ASEAN development partner.

ASEAN is a driving force in the region’s economic landscape and placing multilateralism and cooperation at the core of its actions amid current global challenges, said Myriam Saint-Pierre, Deputy Director of the French ministry’s Asia and Oceania department.

She expressed her desire to further develop relations with all ASEAN nations and regarded the participation of over 200 ASEAN athletes in this year’s Olympics as a testament to the progress in sports and the ability to unite nations around shared values of respect and mutual support.

On Vietnam’s role as the ACP, Thang described it as an opportunity to enhance Vietnam’s central role within the bloc and to promote closer ties between ASEAN and France. He reaffirmed his commitment to portraying Vietnam as an active, responsible member of ASEAN and to fostering a unified and cooperative image of the organisation.

☂ The ACP, one of the few of its kind with participation from all the 10 member states, works to advance relations between ASEAN and French political, business, and public sectors. During its four-month term as the ACP Chair from May to August this year, the Vietnamese Embassy has actively promoted cooperation between the sides across various fields, including politics, economics, and culture./.