Viet Nam expected to provide substantive contributions at 48th ASEAN Summit

Prime Minister Le Minh Hung is set to participate in the 48th ASEAN Summit and related Summits in Cebu, the Philippines from May 7-8 at the invitation of Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr, Chair of ASEAN in 2026.

In his recent interview with VGP, the Ambassador said, this year, the Philippines is chair of ASEAN and the theme for this year is "Navigating our Future, Together".

During this summit and in other related meetings, three overarching priorities, including peace and security anchor, prosperity corridors and people empowerment, will be discussed.

In addition, the Cebu Protocol to Amend the Charter of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is expected to be adopted.

"This Summit is also very significant because, for the first time, 11 heads of Government or State will attend, with the admission last year of Timor Leste. This is another milestone in ASEAN history as Timor Leste will be participating for the first time as a full-fledged member of ASEAN", noted the diplomat.

Productive discussion in trade and international law

According to R. Fernandez III, one of the strengths of ASEAN lies in the diversity of its Member States. Each ASEAN Member State would have different strengths, which they would be able to contribute to the discussion, and learn from the strengths of others, to address some of the weaknesses that they have experienced.

"At the beginning of the year, ASEAN foreign ministers have already been discussing the regional conflicts that are happening worldwide. With the impact of this conflict on the economic growth and development of the region, we expect that that conversation continues now at the higher level, at the level of the Heads of States and Governments", shared R. Fernandez III.

As Viet Nam is concerned, the nation has always exhibited a remarkable annual growth, he said, expressing his hope that the Prime Minister will be able to share his thoughts and his opinions on how the region will be able to sustain its economic growth and development, notwithstanding the challenges arising from various regional conflicts.

In the area of international law, Viet Nam has been consistent in promoting multilateralism and adhering to the rule of law and promoting international law. "We are certain that the Prime Minister will be contributing his thoughts and opinions on these particular issues as the leaders will be discussing the evolving political and regional challenges that we are facing outside of our region", told the Ambassador.

With varying opinions and the sharing of the experiences, the diplomat is looking forward to having a productive discussion among the leaders in the area of trade and international law and Viet Nam will provide substantive contribution on these issues.

Initiatives in maritime and migration proposed

The Ambassador said, the Philippines has very strong background on the areas of maritime and migration, expressing his hope that in this summit, the leaders will discuss an initiative of the Philippines to establish an ASEAN Maritime Center.

"We believe that in the Southeast Asian region, the waters around each of our respective countries do not serve as barriers but they serve as bridges. We have countries in the mainland continent of Asia and we have archipelagic countries, also in the same region. We look at the establishment of the ASEAN Maritime Center as a forum for us to further promote the bridge of water which connects our different countries", shared the diplomat.

In addition, the Philippines will be championing initiatives in the area of migration and proposing the Checklist of the ASEAN Guidelines on Effective Return and Reintegration of Migrant Workers, he added.

These will be two initiatives at this time which will be tabled by the Philippines for the consideration of the ASEAN heads of Governments and heads of States.

ASEAN centrality and unity drive regional cooperation amid global challenges

Ambassador R. Fernandez III held that ASEAN operates on the principle of ASEAN centrality in discussions of issues affecting the region and outside the region.

All ASEAN Member States have adopted the consensus that the center of all of this discussion should be ASEAN. Hence, the existence of various fora in the region, including the ASEAN Regional Forum, the ASEAN Defense Minister's Meeting, the ADMM Plus, and the various economic and trade fora that were created.

In these fora and in the midst of everything that is happening around the world, ASEAN Member States believe that ASEAN policies should be at the center of all of these discussions.

"At the same time, we also have adopted the principle of non-interference in each other's domestic affairs. This brings me to the point I shared earlier that each Member State considers its unique diversity and experience in contributing to the creation of strengthened and holistic ASEAN policies and in promoting ASEAN solidarity", told the diplomat.

ASEAN development should be anchored on three particular communities: the political-security community, the economic community, and the socio-cultural community.

The Ambassador expressed his belief that ASEAN remains a very important body in the region.

"I hope that with the participation of Viet Nam, particularly in responding to the challenges this year in the areas of trade and economic development, we will be listening from each other and contributing towards sustaining the relevance of ASEAN in the evolving political architecture, not only of the region but also outside the region", shared the diplomat./.