REMARKS BY PM NGUYỄN TẤN DŨNG

REMARKS BY PM NGUYỄN TẤN DŨNG

ON THE OCCASION OF THE 41ST ASEAN ANNIVERSARY

AUGUST 08, 2008

Ladies and gentlemen,

1. Today, we gladly celebrate the 41^st birthday of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), a special event for all ten member nations, including Việt Nam. This is a good chance for us to look back the length of road we have passed and outline the future actions in participating in ASEAN cooperation.

2. We are pleased at achievements and growth of ASEAN over the past four decades. Through ups and downs and overcoming many challenges, ASEAN now becomes a regional organization for comprehensive cooperation of all Southeast Asian countries, with many basic changes; and a dynamic and coherent political-economic entity playing an important role in the region. ASEAN is now an integral partner of most major countries and centers in the world and, at the same time, an eminent factor to step up dialogue and cooperation processes at different levels in the Asia-Pacific region.

3. Despite its shortcomings, ASEAN’s successes have been widely acknowledged. However, on this occasion, we should confirm that ASEAN has been and will continue to be a leading important factor to maintain an environment of peace, security and cooperation for development in Southeast Asia; efficiently supporting the goals of security and development in each member and the whole association as well. ASEAN’s cooperation, both within itself and with external partners, has laid an important material foundation for ASEAN to increase deeper and broader regional linkages in the next stages as well as to uplift its own role and position in the international arena.

4. ASEAN is now transforming into a new stage of development, towards the formation of the ASEAN Community by 2015 on the legal basis of the ASEAN Charter. The ASEAN Community based on three pillars, namely the Security Community, Economic Community, and Socio-Cultural Community, pursues the overall goal of converting ASEAN into a more powerful inter-governmental organization, expanding cooperation with outsiders, and paying attention to peoples by serving and improving their livelihood. The ASEAN Charter will create a legal foundation and institutional framework for the Association to consolidate regional linkages, first of all, forming the ASEAN Community. Importantly, the Charter reconfirms the nature of ASEAN as an inter-governmental cooperation organization, with respect for sovereignty and equality of all member states, operating in line with its own targets and fundamental principles as well as renewed organization, apparatus and mode of operation.

5. The building of the ASEAN Community and the birth of the ASEAN Charter reflect ASEAN's maturity, proving the vision and strong political resolution of all members states, especially in fulfilling the goal of building an ASEAN of closer coalition and greater legal bindingness. Speeding up the construction of the Community and promptly bring the Charter into reality are the priorities of ASEAN cooperation in the years to come. During the process, there may be some difficulties resulted from many internal and external causes, especially complex and unpredicted socio-economic changes in the region and the world. And this requires each and every member-state and the Association as a whole to make strong political commitments and proper investments to consolidate the ASEAN linkages, put forth sound solutions and steps to bring the goals into reality.

6. The top criterion for ASEAN's new successes in the next stages is that the Association should make greater joint efforts to consolidate regional peace, stability and cooperation on the basis of basic targets and principles defined in the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) in Southeast Asia and the ASEAN Charter. All member-states should continue to do their best to strengthen the Association's solidarity and unity, reinforce their friendship and community consciousness, ASEAN should continue to bring into play its central role in addressing regional issues, allowing outside partners to take part in removing challenges to peace, security and development in Southeast Asia and the Asia-Pacific Region.

ASEAN should strive to improve the quality of its "unity in diversity" on the basic of common goals and fundamental principles of "consensus" and "non-interference". This requires strong political commitments from each and every member-states to the process of ASEAN integration and the "ASEAN family", harmonizing national interests and those of the entire ASEAN for the common targets, highlighting the Association's traditional values and the "ASEAN Style".

8. ASEAN must speed up the implementation of programs and action plans on building the ASEAN Community through specific measures and with appropriate resources. Particularly, ASEAN needs practical measures to quickly curtail the current development gap within the Association, especially between the old and the new members, by fruitfully realizing the Initiative for ASEAN Integration. Associated with the joint efforts of ASEAN, each member state needs to properly combine programs on national development and on ASEAN integration.

9. An immediate task is to quickly put ASEAN Charter into operation. The Charter will help to renovate the Association's structural organization and mode of operation, improving quality and effectiveness of ASEAN cooperation. In practice, the Association should give more efforts to renewing its mode of operation, highlighting “execution culture”, eradicating slow or inadequate implementation of agreements, and having strategies to properly mobilize and use resources.

Ladies and gentlemen,

10. Việt Nam is an integral part of ASEAN and a responsible member of ASEAN family. Southeast Asia and ASEAN have a strategic significance to Việt Nam as they relate directly to the country’s security and development environment. An ASEAN of integration, unity and solidarity, having an important role and position in the international community, will meet Việt Nam’s basic and long-term interests. Thus, we always consider ASEAN, both in terms of bilateral and multi-lateral ties, an important part of Việt Nam’s diplomatic policy of independence, self-control, multilateralization, diversification and friendly neighborhood.

11. Since joining ASEAN in July 1995, Việt Nam has proactively participated in and made important contributions to the development of the Association. Most recently, Việt Nam approved the ASEAN Charter.

Entering a new era, we should continue to actively and responsibly join hands with other members to build up the ASEAN Community on the basis of ASEAN Charter. Vietnamese ministries, sectors and localities need to enhance their coordination, consolidate their apparatus, mobilize sufficient resources, study and propose feasible initiatives for effective cooperation. We also need to enhance public dissemination of ASEAN and Việt Nam’s participation, calling on Vietnamese people to contribute to the building of the ASEAN Community.

12. On the anniversary of ASEAN birthday, on behalf of the Vietnamese Government and people, I would like to send best greetings to every member of the ASEAN family. By the way, I confirm that the Vietnamese Government and people will continue taking an important and practical part in the development of the Association, in the bulky interests of ASEAN peoples right now and in the future.

Thank you./.