Ladies and Gentlemen,
1. On January 1st, 2010, Viet Nam will assume the Chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) for one year. The take-over of the ASEAN Chairmanship coincides with our celebration of the 15th anniversary of joining ASEAN. This is, indeed, a great honour, but also an enormous task for us. We have made all necessary preparations early on, and are now ready to undertake this important mission.
2. After 40 years of development, ASEAN has now become a dynamic and fast-growing regional organization of all ten Southeast Asian countries. Its cooperation covers almost all political, economic, cultural and social areas. The Association has made significant contributions to consolidating and promoting peace, stability and cooperation in Southeast Asia and Asia-Pacific. Moreover, ASEAN has managed to build reliable partnership with all major powers and important regions across the globe, and plays an indispensable role in regional and international cooperation frameworks.
3. ASEAN is one of our strategic priorities and ASEAN membership provides us with favorable conditions and positive support for our national construction and defence. We have always considered participation in ASEAN cooperation as an important part of our foreign policy of openness, diversification, multilateralisation, and active regional and international integration. As such, over the past 15 years, we have actively engaged in and made important contributions to the Association. Entering a new stage, we will continue to participate in ASEAN cooperation in an active, positive and responsible manner, in the interest of a stronger and more integrated ASEAN.
4. We take over the ASEAN Chairmanship at a time when the Association is moving onto a new phase of development, with 2010 being a crucial year in the five-year period towards the ASEAN Community by 2015. The ASEAN Charter and the Roadmap for the ASEAN Community, adopted by all ASEAN Leaders, has set out the vision and framework for ASEAN cooperation in the new period. Its overall objective is to build the ASEAN Community resting on the three pillars of Political and Security, Economic and Socio-Cultural and to translate the ASEAN Charter into reality. Therefore, based on extensive consultation and broad consensus of all ASEAN Member Countries, Viet Nam has come up with the theme of the ASEAN Year 2010 as “Towards the ASEAN Community: From Vision to Action”. This will serve as the guideline for ASEAN cooperation throughout the next year.
5. Along that line, the priorities Viet Nam has set for its ASEAN Chairmanship Year are to strengthen ASEAN solidarity and integration, effectively implement the ASEAN Charter and Roadmap for building the ASEAN Community, further expand and deepen the cooperation between ASEAN and its partners, and work actively to promote the profile and enhance the role and position of the Association on the global stage. We will also work hard to deepen cooperation within ASEAN and between ASEAN and its partners to tackle the global challenges, including the consequences of the global economic and financial crisis, food and energy security, climate change, natural disasters and pandemic diseases.
6. Along with the ASEAN Chairmanship, the year 2010 for Viet Nam is also filled with events of great significance, particularly the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long-Ha Noi. As such, the organization of ASEAN meetings and events will also provide Viet Nam with an opportunity to introduce to our friends inside and outside ASEAN the country, people, cultural traditions, history and potentials of Viet Nam, and thus, to project an image of Viet Nam as a country of reform and dynamism with a foreign policy of independence, self-reliance, peace, friendship and cooperation for development with all countries around the world, actively integrating itself into the region and the world.
Against that backdrop, the Government and people of Viet Nam are resolved to allocate necessary resources to accomplish the ASEAN Chairmanship in order to make our utmost contributions to ASEAN and showcase Viet Nam's hallmarks in all dimensions ranging from substantive matters, communication, logistics, organization to security and safety. I would ask relevant ministries, agencies and local authorities, particularly the National Committee for ASEAN 2010, to continue to display their responsibility, pro-activeness, flexibility and innovation to effectively carry out their plans and fulfill their tasks.
7. I would like to take this opportunity, as the Chairman of ASEAN and on behalf of the Government and people of Viet Nam, to convey to Leaders and peoples of ASEAN, ASEAN’s partners and friends the message of peace, solidarity, friendship and cooperation for development. ASEAN, on its course towards building the Community, is very much in need of your effective support and joint efforts for the sake of peace, stability and development in the region and the world at large. I also look forward to receiving active support from other ASEAN Member Countries, ASEAN’s partners and other international friends for Viet Nam to accomplish our ASEAN Chairmanship this year.
I wish a New Year of great success to ASEAN.
Happy New Year to you all,
Thank you very much.
