VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam will do its utmost to intensify ASEAN’s joint efforts to build a single, united community by 2015.

Vu Dang Dung, ambassador and head of the Vietnam’s permanent representative mission to ASEAN, made the commitment at a get-together held in Jakarta, Indonesia, on February 7, to welcome the upcoming lunar New Year (Tet) festival.

He noted that regional and global developments in 2012 not only gave ASEAN and its member countries new opportunities but also posed numerous challenges.  

Vietnam continued to actively take part in and make a positive and responsible contribution to the grouping’s cooperation and development, striving for peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region, he said.

Dung thanked permanent representatives of ASEAN countries, ambassadors of ASEAN’s dialogue partners and other friends for providing support and assistance to Vietnam in 2012, and hoped for better cooperative relations in 2013.

He also congratulated Le Luong Minh on being appointed as Vietnam’s first ASEAN Secretary General and expressed his belief that the diplomat will accomplish his task in his 2013-2017 term to promote ASEAN’s goals and effectively contribute to the ASEAN Secretariat’s operations.

For his part, Minh said he hopes that the representatives of countries to ASEAN will continue to cooperate and support the ASEAN Secretariat in meeting the grouping’s common goal of building a united community by 2015.

International diplomats were treated to a special art performance and traditional dishes of Vietnam.

Vietnam’s traditional lunar New Year festival falls on February 10 this year and lasts several days.

Source: VOV