Summit reflects common efforts to turn ASEAN into growth epicentre: ambassador
With the 2023 ASEAN theme of “ASEAN Matters: Epicentre of Growth”, the coming 42nd ASEAN Summit reflects member countries’ wish and efforts to turn the bloc into a growth epicentre that leads cooperation and connectivity processes in the region and contributes to the common goal of peace, stability, and prosperity.
So said Ambassador Vu Ho, Acting head of the ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) delegation of Vietnam, in an interview granted to the press ahead of the 42nd ASEAN Summit, scheduled to take place in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, from May 9 to 11.
He noted the organisation of the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, an island with limited infrastructure but huge tourism potential and lying far from Jakarta capital, demonstrates member countries’ determination to join hands in promoting economic recovery in a sustainable and inclusive manner.
With the 2023 ASEAN theme and facing complex and unpredictable changes, leaders of member countries will focus on emerging regional and global issues, devise orientations for conduct, and seek solutions so as to affirm the bloc’s role, reputation, and sense of responsibility in the current context.
Ho said that leaders of member countries will engage in a number of activities on this occasion, including a plenary session and a retreat. They will have dialogues with representatives of parliaments, the youth, and enterprises, along with the High-Level Task Force for the ASEAN Community’s Post-2025 Vision.
This will be the first time ASEAN leaders have a dialogue with senior representatives of the task force to look into future orientations for the bloc after 2025, the diplomat went on.
This summit is expected to adopt many important documents on all the three pillars of the ASEAN Community, namely politics - security, economy, and culture - society. They cover various aspects, including economy, finance, development, society, major cooperation trends, and issues of shared concern.
Ambassador Ho said the Vietnamese delegation will take part in the 42nd ASEAN Summit in an active, responsible, and creative manner to contribute to the event’s common success.
Vietnam will bring to the summit a message of consolidating solidarity and resilience, promoting the bloc’s capacity of responding and flexibly adapting to volatility, and bringing into play ASEAN’s role, voice, and sense of responsibility more strongly when engaging in common works of the region and the world, he added.
