Hanoi (VNA) – As rotating ASEAN Chair 2020, Vietnam has made greatefforts to ensure the bloc’s cooperation activities take place in a timelymanner amid the COVID-19 pandemic, affirmed Indonesian Ambassador to Vietnam IbnuHadi.

Granting an interview to the Vietnam News Agency on the occasion of the 53rd founding anniversary of ASEAN (August 8, 1967-2020), Ambassador Ibnu Hadistressed that since its establishment, ASEAN has grown tremendously andsignificantly in terms of positive significant development.

“During its cause of development, a lot of progresses have been achieved interms of political and security with its Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC).This is like a tool created by ASEAN to contribute to the peace and stabilityof the world and our region,” he noted.

Emphasising the importance of TAC, which was signed on February 24, 1976 byASEAN member countries, he said the treaty is now joined by 40 countries,including the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.

In terms of economic andtrade, the ambassador said ASEAN already created the ASEAN Free Trade Area(AFTA) in 1992 and it hasbeen fully implemented, including for the CLMV countries (Cambodia, Laos,Myanmar and Vietnam).

“We are aiming to have the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).Hopefully, that can be signed during the Vietnam’s ASEAN chairmanship by theend of this year. And if that is the case, that will give the strong boost formore economic development for our region,” he added.

In terms of socio-cultural development, the ASEAN Community has already beenadopted as a single community, he said, adding that the grouping shouldencourage more people-to-people contact in order that ASEAN is not onlygovernment to government but also people to people. Interactions betweenpeople, not only tourism, but also culture, education must be further enhanced.

Regardingthe contributions made by Vietnam as rotating ASEAN Chair 2020, especially whenthe COVID-19 pandemic is ravaging, Ibnu Hadi said Vietnam has shown not only tothe ASEAN countries but also to the rest of the world that it’s a good exampleof how to tackle the COVID-19.

Acknowledging Vietnam’s initiatives to help ASEAN combat the pandemic, he saidthe country issued the ASEAN’s chairmanship statement on COVID-19 and alsoorganized the online ASEAN 3 Summit (with China, Japan and the Republic of Korea)in April.

“It is ASEAN’s special summit on COVID-19 during which we discussed and came upwith some solutions and agreements. During the last ASEAN Summit at the end ofJune, we issued the ASEAN Leaders’ Vision Statement on a Cohesive andResponsive ASEAN. I believe that among others, we are all committed to tacklingthe new emerging issues by the COVID-19,” he said.

“So a lot have been contributed by Vietnam to ASEAN,” he stated, expressing hisbelief that under Vietnam’s chairmanship which lasts until December, ASEAN willhave another summit in November and hopefully, the RCEP will be signed.

He also hoped ASEAN will have some progress on the Code of Conduct that is thecontinuation of the Declaration of the Conducts on the South China Sea (EastSea).

The Indonesian diplomat highlighted Vietnam’s efforts and initiatives inmaintaining the cooperation process of ASEAN in the context of COVID-19.

“Unfortunately, there is a COVID-19 outbreak since March. So since then, mostof the process of the ASEAN is conducted online. But thanks to Vietnam, all ofthese processes can be conducted on time,” he noted.

Regarding challenges and opportunities to the ASEAN Community after 2025, IbnuHadi stressed that the challenge number one post-2025 is to maintain the peace and stability of this region.

“When we talk about peace and stability, we have to talk about the peaceprocess and peace conditions of our region, not only on land but also in thesea. In the sea we must discuss the East Sea, or South China Sea,” he said.

He held that beyond 2025, not only the completion of the Code of Conduct buthow to implement it on the ground are very crucial.

The Indonesian ambassador expected that in the future, ASEAN will consider howto make cooperation agreements with other countries to become a production hubin the Asian region./.