Nghe An has all the necessary conditions for integration and development.

(Baonghean.vn) - On the morning of November 13th, a thematic workshop on "ASEAN Community - Opportunities and Challenges" was held in Vinh City.with the participation of representatives from many agencies and businesses in the province.

Attending the workshop were: Ambassador Vu Dang Dung - Former Head of the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to ASEAN, Director in charge of ASEAN - Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Nguyen Son - Deputy Director, Deputy Head of the Office of the Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee on International Economic Integration; and Le Ngoc Hoa - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee.

Also attending the workshop were nearly 150 delegates, including leaders of provincial departments, agencies, and organizations; leaders of districts, cities, and towns; leaders and specialists from several departments of provincial and district-level agencies, agencies, and organizations; and members of the Association of Outstanding Enterprises, the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, the Association of Young Entrepreneurs, and VCCI.

A view of the workshop.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was established on August 8, 1967, with five original members. Through many ups and downs, ASEAN has undergone a fundamental transformation and is now moving towards the formation of the ASEAN Community by the end of 2015.

To date, ASEAN has implemented nearly 93.8% of the more than 800 specific action measures outlined in the ASEAN Community Building Roadmap 2015, with varying degrees of completion in each pillar. Specifically, the Political-Security Community has reached 90%, the Economic Community 91.5%, and the Socio-Cultural Community nearly 100%.

With its motto of "proactive, positive, and responsible" participation in ASEAN cooperation, Vietnam has made significant contributions to the development of ASEAN in general and the goal of realizing the ASEAN Community in particular. Vietnam has fully and extensively participated in all areas of cooperation, making important contributions to the growth and strength of ASEAN.

Ambassador Vu Dang Dung - former Head of the Permanent Mission of Vietnam to ASEAN, Director General in charge of ASEAN affairs - Ministry of Foreign Affairs, presented the content of the implementation of building the ASEAN Community and Vietnam's participation.

Comrade Nguyen Son - Deputy Director, Deputy Head of the Office of the Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee on International Economic Integration - gave an overview of the negotiations and signing of regional free trade agreements in 2015 and provided information on the ASEAN Economic Community.

Speaking at the workshop, Mr. Le Ngoc Hoa, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, emphasized that Vietnam's accession to the ASEAN Community on December 31, 2015, will bring both opportunities for development and challenges to Nghe An province in general and Nghe An businesses in particular. Therefore, equipping people with knowledge about ASEAN integration to take advantage of opportunities and mitigate challenges is essential as the formation of the ASEAN Community approaches.

In addition, Comrade Le Ngoc Hoa affirmed that Nghe An has many potentials and advantages, plays an important role in economic, trade, tourism, and goods transportation within the country, the region, and internationally, has an important geo-economic position, and possesses all the necessary natural conditions and infrastructure to integrate and develop.

Comrade Le Ngoc Hoa – Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee – affirmed that Nghe An has sufficient natural conditions and infrastructure to integrate and develop.

The workshop, with its insightful topics, helped delegates update their basic knowledge about ASEAN and its three main pillars, focusing on the ASEAN Economic Community. In addition, the topics provided an opportunity for businesses in Nghe An to better understand the opportunities and challenges of ASEAN integration and propose solutions to enhance opportunities, mitigate challenges, and address their concerns and questions.

Thu Giang