Vietnam has played its role as Chair of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) well in 2010, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung remarked on the
final day of the country’s term.

The
following is the full text of the speech made by the Prime Minister on the
occasion:

“Today,
the 31st December, 2010, Vietnam
officially concludes its term as the rotating Chair of ASEAN. We are all
pleased and proud as Vietnam
has done a good job in the position, obtaining a maximum level of all set
targets and making a deep mark of its own both in terms of the content as well
as in organisation and management work. The year’s success was manifested by
important results of long-lasting significance for the interests of ASEAN and
the region as well as our country,” the PM said.

He
went on to say that for ASEAN, its member countries’ common determination and
efforts under the theme “Towards the ASEAN Community: from vision to action”
had made substantial changes and realised an important step toward the target
of forming the ASEAN Community by 2015.

The
ASEAN connectivity shifted towards action and practicality; with concrete
progress made in the implementation of the ASEAN Charter and the Roadmap to build
the ASEAN Community based on three major pillars: political-security, economic
and socio-cultural, as well as in other important plans, especially the ASEAN
Connectivity Master Plan.

ASEAN’s
external ties and central role in the region were strengthened and promoted,
manifested by new and significant developments of the regional co-operation
frameworks in which ASEAN played a decisive role such as ASEAN+1, ASEAN+3, the
East-Asia Summit (EAS), the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the ASEAN Defence
Ministers’ Meeting Plus (ADMM+).

ASEAN
also made important contributions to international forums such as APEC, ASEM,
the G20 and the United Nations. Partners have been attaching greater importance
to the relationship with ASEAN, supporting its central role in the region,
intensifying multifaceted co-operation, and increasing commitments to assist
ASEAN in various forms, including financial assistance.

“For
the East Asia region, an environment of peace,
security, co-operation and development has been strengthened and developed.
Through utilising regional peace and security mechanisms and instruments, ASEAN
worked to obtain positive changes in an effort to increase dialogues and
co-operation, build confidence and share conduct standards regarding
political-security issues, including complicated ones such as the East Sea and
the Korean Peninsula.

The
co-operation towards a sustainable development and preparedness for coping with
global challenges, particularly climate change and natural disasters prevention
along with the sub-regional Mekong co-operation, also saw remarkable progress
within ASEAN itself as well as between ASEAN and its partners through the
ASEAN+1, ASEAN+3 and EAS frameworks,” the PM said.

According
to the PM, Vietnam
had fulfilled at the highest level all set targets in strengthening ASEAN
solidarity and co-operation, promoting a more favourable regional environment
for the country’s security and development as well as improving its
international role and position.

The
country implemented well the tasks of the ASEAN Chair under the motto of
“activeness, taking initiative and responsibility”, proposed the right themes
and focuses for co-operation, and put forth valuable initiatives and suitable
measures, Dung stressed.

Vietnam also completed the
compilation of many important documents, successfully chaired and organised
many successive meetings as well as made appropriate co-ordination and
settlements to reach a consensus on major ASEAN decisions and on several
complicated issues, he added.

The
PM went on to say that countries’ leaders and delegates as well as domestic and
international opinions spoke highly of Vietnam’s organisation and
monitoring of conferences and its dynamic and agile guiding role.

He
added that the country had also seized the opportunity when foreign leaders
attended ASEAN events to hold bilateral talks and meetings during which many
important agreements were reached, thus helping boost the comprehensive and
practical development of bilateral ties between Vietnam and those countries.

Vietnam also made the best
use of opportunities to promote the country, people, history, culture and
development potential of Vietnam
to countries’ leaders and delegates as well as the international press, he
noted.

The
results reached during the year that Vietnam sat in the ASEAN Chair in
particular and the country’s 15-year ASEAN participation in general again
affirmed the strategic importance and long-term interests of Vietnam’s
membership of ASEAN, an important part in the country’s foreign policy of
independence, self-control, diversification and multilateralisation of
relations and taking the initiative in regional and international integration.

The
government leader stated that Vietnam’s great efforts and important
contributions to ASEAN once again confirmed the country’s consistent policy of
attaching importance to ASEAN in both multilateral co-operation and bilateral
relations as well as of doing its utmost for a stronger and more united ASEAN
with close connectivity.

The
success of the ASEAN presidency year marked Vietnam’s considerable maturity in
the regional and international integration process, he said, adding that the
country could draw many valuable lessons, especially on the clear-sighted and
timely steering of the Party and State; the close co-ordination among
ministries, agencies and localities; the dedication, activeness and
responsibility of officials who directly participated in ASEAN activities; and
the thorough grasp and skilful application of the Party and State’s principles and
guidelines regarding external relations, particularly in multilateral
diplomacy.

On
the occasion, PM Dung applauded the efforts made by all ministries, agencies,
localities and bodies in the National Committee for ASEAN 2010 and officials
who directly served activities during the 2010 ASEAN presidency year.

The
PM, on behalf of the Vietnamese Government and people, extended sincere thanks
to the governments and peoples of ASEAN member nations as well as the bloc’s
partner countries for their valuable support and assistance to Vietnam as the
ASEAN Chair.

He
expressed his wish that Indonesia,
the ASEAN Chair 2011, will continue to take ASEAN to new successes in the
common efforts towards the establishment of the ASEAN Community in 2015.

In
conclusion, the Vietnamese PM wished ASEAN a successful new year.

Source: VNA