Message from Chairman of State Administration Council Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing on the Occasion of the 55th Anniversary of ASEAN

The excepts from the message sent by the Chairman of the State Administration Council (SAC) Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing to our fellow citizens and to the peoples of the ASEAN Member States on the occasion of the 55th Anniversary of ASEAN are as follows:

• ASEAN has grown from strength to strength with its remarkable expansion to ten Member States in 1999 while strengthening its external relations with eleven Dialogue Partners, four Sectoral Dialogue Partners and four Development Partners.
• In 2021, ASEAN established the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP) with the People’s Republic of China and the Commonwealth of Australia for further deepening meaningful, substantive and mutually beneficial relations with respective countries.
• ASEAN has formally established fifty-five ASEAN Committees in Third Countries and International Organizations (ACTCs) in the national capitals and other key cities across the world in order to promote ASEAN’s interest and identity as well as to facilitate further strengthening ASEAN’s external relations.
• Moreover, the growing number of interested parties pursuing to engage with ASEAN and to accede to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) demonstrates that ASEAN’s norms and values are increasingly embraced by the international community.
• Nowadays, ASEAN has become a successful model of regionalism and has evolved into an important regional organization in global affairs. Today, ASEAN has made significant progress to become the third largest economy in Asia and the sixth largest in the world.
• ASEAN has been able to manage the COVID-19 pandemic and associated socio-economic impacts through concrete measures such as implementing the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework, the ASEAN Travel Corridor Arrangement Framework and the establishment of the ASEAN Centre for Public Health Emergencies and Emerging Diseases for an expeditious, comprehensive and sustainable recovery in our region.
• ASEAN must be resilient, united and strong against the pressure and influence stemming from rising geo-political confrontations and economic competition among major powers to further promote an open, transparent, inclusive and rules-based regional architecture that is based upon ASEAN-led mechanisms.
• During such challenging times, it is crucial that ASEAN Centrality, unity and solidarity are upheld based on the fundamental principles and norms of ASEAN as stipulated in the ASEAN Charter, the TAC and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP).
• There is no doubt that key enablers such as the mutual respect for independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, equality and non-interference, along with the consensus-based approach not only bind all ASEAN Member States as a strong family of “Unity in Diversity” but also bring about many fruitful benefits to our peoples in the region.
• Since Myanmar became the Association’s membership on 23 July 1997, Myanmar has proven to be a responsible, proactive and constructive member of ASEAN and a strong supporter of the ASEAN Community-Building efforts.
• Myanmar is committed to advancing the ASEAN Community building process and its key initiatives under the ASEAN Community Blueprints 2025, including the Initiative for ASEAN Integration Work Plan IV (2021-2025) and the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025.
• While working closely with Cambodia as ASEAN Chair in 2022 and with all ASEAN Member States, Myanmar will continue to stand on the fundamental principles and norms enshrined in the ASEAN Charter, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP).

On this auspicious 55th anniversary of ASEAN, the Prime Minister urged all our citizens to actively join us in realizing ASEAN’s aspirations and in contributing to the advancement of our community-building efforts that will promote peace, stability and prosperity in our region and beyond.

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar (8.8.2022)

• The growing number of interested parties pursuing to engage with ASEAN and to accede to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) demonstrates that ASEAN’s norms and values are increasingly embraced by the international community.
• During such challenging times, it is crucial that ASEAN Centrality, unity and solidarity are upheld based on the fundamental principles and norms of ASEAN as stipulated in the ASEAN Charter, the TAC and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP).
• Myanmar is committed to advancing the ASEAN Community building process and its key initiatives under the ASEAN Community Blueprints 2025, including the Initiative for ASEAN Integration Work Plan IV (2021-2025) and the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025.
• While working closely with Cambodia as ASEAN Chair in 2022 and with all ASEAN Member States, Myanmar will continue to stand on the fundamental principles and norms enshrined in the ASEAN Charter, the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP).