Jan. 4 – Vietnam will take the reigns as this year’s chair for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The position is a revolving one and Vietnam will take over from Thailand until the end of this year. Vietnam will cooperate with nine other member-states to manage regional agreements, plans, and programs.
The theme for its chairmanship is “Towards the Asean Community: from Vision to Action, ” reports The Inquirer. ASEAN Secretary General Dr. Surin Pitsuwan said in a statement that Vietnam has prepared well for its new role.
He says, “The new chair has a clear set of priorities and agenda which are useful as an implementation and support guide for ASEAN member states, the ASEAN Secretariat, ASEAN Dialogue Partners, and other external parties.”
The regional bloc is composed of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
