Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam, as Chair of ASEAN in 2020, is exerting everyeffort to boost the building of a cohesive and responsive ASEAN Community sothat the bloc can deal with all possible challenges and difficulties, DeputyPrime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh has said.

Addressingan international symposium on “Vietnam - ASEAN: 25-year Journey and the WayForward” on August 19, Minh reaffirmed that ASEAN is an important pillar inVietnam’s foreign policy and a framework for cooperation in security anddevelopment.

As thefuture of member states, including Vietnam, is closely tied to ASEAN, all haveresponsibility for and an interest in consolidating a united and strong ASEANCommunity that holds a deserving role and position in the region and the world.

Since itsentry into ASEAN 25 years ago, Vietnam has served as an active, proactive, andresponsible member that has wholeheartedly contributed to the bloc’sdevelopment, Minh said.

Becomingan ASEAN member was also a good first step in Vietnam’s regional and internationalintegration and it treasures the support of other member states, he added.

Minh alsoaffirmed that the mutual understanding and strategic trust that ASEAN hascreated over the decades will continue to serve as an important foundation formember states to boost win-win cooperation and dialogue to form a peaceful andfavourable environment for sustainable development in the region.

The symposium,held online by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, attracted the participation ofASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi, former ASEAN Secretary-General Le LuongMinh, former Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa, and Minister of the PrimeMinister’s Office of Laos Bounkert Sangsomsak, among others.

Itfocused discussions on the importance of ASEAN for Vietnam, the country’sparticipation in the bloc’s activities, valuable lessons for the way forward,opportunities and challenges facing ASEAN in the time to come, and ASEAN inVietnam’s intensive and comprehensive international integration policy./.