ASEAN flag-hoisting ceremony held to mark bloc's 55th founding anniversary

Present at the ceremony included Vietanmese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son, Ambassadors from ASEAN Member States and representatives of ASEAN' dialogue partners.

In his remarks, Foreign Minister Bui emphasized that 55 years ago, in 1967, the birth of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations laid the ground to realize the dream of a region of lasting peace and stability, sustainable growth, and inclusive social progress.

"At this moment, we can be truly proud of what have been achieved toward realizing that noble goal, meeting the aspirations of nearly 700 million Southeast Asian people,", said Bui.

"ASEAN, our shared home, is now one of the most dynamic and successful regional organizations in the world. We have been able to maintain an environment of peace, stability and cooperation for development across many decades", Bui stated.

The 55th anniversary of ASEAN this year is an important occasion to look back at the road the bloc has travelled and to  pay homage to the devotion and achievements of previous generations of ASEAN leaders and to benefit from their wisdom and experiences.

The world is changing profoundly, driven by the pandemic, climate change, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and the rapidly shifting geo-political landscape. In order to succeed in the pursuit of the ASEAN Community's goals and visions, the minister stressed on efforts to consolidate ASEAN's foundation; promote rapid, sustainable and inclusive post-pandemic recovery, and develop the Post-2025 Vision for the Community's next stage of development.

"At this moment, as the ASEAN Flag flies high, I hold a strong conviction that ASEAN, in the coming years, will take off to new heights, serving better the benefits of our peoples, for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world," he said./.