Vietnam officially assumes ASEAN Secretary General

On January 9, Vietnam officially assumed the position of Secretary General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for the 2013-2017 term.

Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh (2nd right) and delegates at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in July 2012. (Source: AFP/VNA)

The handover ceremony was solemnly held at the ASEAN Secretariat headquarters in Jakarta (Indonesia) between outgoing ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, and Mr. Le Luong Minh, former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam.

Attending the handover ceremony were Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, Ambassadors-Heads of Permanent Delegations of ASEAN countries, Ambassadors-Heads of Permanent Delegations of ASEAN partner countries, Ambassadors of ASEAN countries and Diplomatic Corps in Indonesia, a large number of staff of the ASEAN Secretariat, representatives of many regional and international organizations, and Indonesian and foreign television and press reporters.

Speaking at the end of his term, Mr. Surin Pitsuwan expressed his gratitude for the cooperation of ASEAN member countries, especially host Indonesia and the ASEAN Secretariat, in helping to fulfill his duties as ASEAN Secretary General.

Mr. Surin Pitsuwan reviewed the outstanding results and achievements of ASEAN and the ASEAN Secretariat over the past 5 years; highlighted the efforts of ASEAN in general and the ASEAN Secretariat in particular in strengthening solidarity, cooperation and integration within the bloc, towards the establishment of the Community in 2015; consolidating ASEAN's central role in the region and in the evolving East Asian structure; affirming ASEAN's role and position in the international arena, especially in the context of many complex and difficult changes in the region and the world.

Mr. Surin Pitsuwan emphasized the results of close and good cooperation between ASEAN and partner countries, contributing to strengthening ASEAN's central role in the region and enhancing the bloc's position globally, especially when the driving force of global economic growth is shifting from the West to Asia-Pacific, while effectively supporting the narrowing of the development gap within ASEAN between the 6 old member countries (Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines) and the 4 new member countries (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar).

Mr. Surin Pitsuwan also affirmed the inevitable path of ASEAN integration and a peaceful, democratic, prosperous and people-centered ASEAN Community.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mr. Le Luong Minh expressed his gratitude to Foreign Minister Natalegawa and the Government of Indonesia for their continued support to the ASEAN Secretariat, and positively appreciated the dedication and contributions of Mr. Surin Pitsuwan.

Mr. Le Luong Minh affirmed the great, strong and proud role of ASEAN - a regional organization that respects and strives for cooperation, peace, stability, development, integration and dealing with traditional and non-traditional challenges on the regional and international levels.

Mr. Le Luong Minh emphasized the progress made by ASEAN in the political and security fields, with the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation, the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone Agreement, and the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), increasingly attracting the attention of countries around the world, as well as the five nuclear-weapon states.

The recent establishment of the ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation is an important step forward in the formulation and effective implementation of the ASEAN Political and Security Community blueprint, measures to strengthen the code of conduct, build confidence, and prevent and resolve conflicts.

Regarding this issue, Mr. Le Luong Minh highlighted the need to increase efforts and goodwill of both sides, ASEAN and China, on the basis of the progress achieved in the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC), ASEAN's Six-Point Principles on the East Sea, the ASEAN-China Joint Statement on the 10th Anniversary of the DOC to accelerate negotiations, towards the completion of the Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC), to ensure that ASEAN and East Asia are a region of peace, security, stability and development.

Referring to ASEAN's great achievements in the economic and integration fields, with more open flows of investment, capital, labor, goods and services, narrowed or removed tariff barriers, improved human rights, especially those of women, children and people with disabilities, reduced poverty rates, and enhanced ability to respond to natural disasters, Mr. Le Luong Minh also noted ASEAN's great potentials and opportunities that need to be exploited, utilized and further promoted, as well as the requirement to strengthen effective cooperation to deal with common challenges of the bloc and the world.

ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh affirmed that during his five-year term (2013-2017), he and the ASEAN Secretariat are ready and will work closely with member countries to fulfill the goals set for ASEAN, including the successful establishment of the ASEAN Community by 2015.

Speaking at the handover ceremony, Indonesian Foreign Minister Natalegawa highly appreciated the contributions and activities of Mr. Surin Pitsuwan in his capacity as ASEAN Secretary General; wished Mr. Le Luong Minh to fulfill his duties in his new position and believed that with his extensive experience in many diplomatic positions, Mr. Le Luong Minh will lead the ASEAN Secretariat to achieve even greater results, contributing to affirming a peaceful, sustainably developed ASEAN, playing a central role in the region and being a community in the global community of nations.

At the end of the handover ceremony, new ASEAN Secretary General Le Luong Minh gave interviews to the media on a number of issues of interest regarding ASEAN and the region./.

According to (TTXVN) - LT