ASEAN will be able to overcome all internal and external challenges, though perhaps not entirely: Malaysian Ambassador
WVR - Malaysian Ambassador to Vietnam Dato' Tan Yang Thai took the time to share with The World and Vietnam Report his insights on the key highlights of the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM) and related meetings and his optimism about the ASEAN’s ability to overcome challenging times.
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| Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim delivered remarks at the opening session of the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on July 9. (Photo: Quang Hoa) |
How do you assess the significanes of 58th AMM, which features an impressive number of 24 ministerial-level meetings?
I think this is a very important meeting right now because for a long time, AMM has not attracted all the participation of the major powers, but this year is different. This year we have joinings of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, and also Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov in Kuala Lumpur. And this is a very exciting time for ASEAN and also reflects the importance of ASEAN, which attracted all the world's attention by gathering such a high-level representation from all the major global powers.
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| Malaysian Ambassador to Vietnam Dato' Tan Yang Thai in an interview with The World and Vietnam Report on July 10. (Photo: Thanh Long) |
And this has reflected the Malaysia ASEAN 2025 Chairmanship and also the issues that we are discussing right now is very pertinent to the peace and stability of the region and all stakeholders participated in this matter.
And we are very glad that Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son as well participated in this important meetings in AMM 58 and Vietnam's contribution to this ASEAN ministerial meetings and the post-ministerial meetings is very significant for our stability in the region.
From that, could you please comments on ASEAN’s centrality — a core value that the organization has shaped and upheld for decades?
The centrality of ASEAN has to be the forefront of our engagement with all the foreign partners. We have to reinstate our priority that we welcome foreign powers engagement in our region. But the ASEAN centrality, which means ASEAN has to have a say on how this engagement is all about.
ASEAN would not want to choose sides. We are an open region, trading with all parts of the world, and we are not choosing one over the other. I think this is a very important message for ASEAN to continue communicating throughout the world.
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| The ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on July 10. (Photo: Quang Hoa) |
The Signing Ceremony of the Instrument of Accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) by Algeria and Uruguay, as well as the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Commission meeting took place as part of the 58th AMM. In your view, what are the key messages conveyed by these events?
I believe that an increasing number of countries are recognizing the TAC as an important instrument to strengthen their relations with ASEAN. The growing number of signatories to the TAC is a very positive signal, reaffirming ASEAN’s relevance and significance in both regional and global affairs.
But more importantly, I think this year we are also concentrating on SEANWFZ. This is very important. We are sending a message to the major powers in the world that we do not tolerate anyone using nuclear power in our region. This is a very important message and we hope all the major powers will be able to adhere to this and sign the treaty.
What are your assessments of ASEAN’s internal cohesion, particularly in its ability to address internal issues and respond to external challenges?
Yes, this is a very important question and we were talking about Myanmar and of late what happened between Thailand and Cambodia. But I believe that because of the yearly and also very close collaboration and cooperation and meetings between our leaders there is always a sensible solutions and also they will not cross the kind of a red line and this is a very important achievement.
I would say for ASEAN since its establishment in 1967 that we do have from occasionally some issues among the members, but it's always been able to contain and to be resolved. It would not escalate until that major conflict has erupted. So since 1967, I think ASEAN has been able to achieve that. And this is a very good historical achievement that ASEAN should maintain and should also assimilate to tell the others with the aim to seek peace and stability for our development.
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| The Meeting of SEANWFZ on July 8. (Photo: Quang Hoa) |
I think one of the ASEANs being admired by a lot of other regional groupings is that despite our differences, despite the different political background, different people, different languages and different systems, ASEAN somehow able to cohesively exist and also advance throughout the region and also maintains stability and peace throughout the region.
I wouldn't say that it could be 100% but from time to time we do have some issues like recently but I believe that through the ASEAN spirit, ASEAN trans-radiability, we will be able to overcome. And we have many avenues for the leaders to talk to one another and to solve potential issues and also to solve regional issues.
ASEAN has adopted the ASEAN Vision 2045, marking a new phase in the Association’s development. In your view, how could Vietnam contribute to the realization of this important vision?
I think the vision 2045 is more ASEAN community and we can see one ASEAN. So we wanted to make sure that the youth is more engaged vis-à-vis ASEAN because in the future we might one day identify ourselves as citizens of ASEAN instead of just citizens of ASEAN's members, but we are all citizens of ASEAN. It's like in Europe, they are French, German, but they are all Europeans.
So, you know, in the future, I think this project for the 2045 ASEAN Community will further encourage our next generation to identify themselves as ASEAN citizens. And of course, you still maintain your own citizenship but there is a kind of a regional identity, which is a little bit lacking still at this moment. We are very much confident that with this ASEAN Community 2045, we will be able to achieve that.
In that time, our youth, our people, will identify themselves as, of course, citzens of ASEAN's members but at the same time, we are also ASEAN citizens. I think that is the level of commitment that we would like our next generation to achieve in ASEAN.
Thanks the Ambassador!
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