ASEAN lauded as guarantor of peace

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia－Fifty-four years after the Association of Southeast Asian Nations was founded it has succeeded in ensuring peace, stability, security and steady development, Cambodia's Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen said in a written message to mark ASEAN Day on Sunday.

"Together we have embarked on a long and fulfilling journey to nurture the growth of this regional organization into a closely-knitted and people-oriented entity," he said.

ASEAN, which groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, has always been an integral part of Cambodia's foreign policy, Hun Sen said.

"As a regional grouping, ASEAN has so far been successful in ensuring that its people enjoy relative peace, stability, security and steady development."

Cambodia is committed to sustaining ASEAN as a region of critical importance for global trade, investment and supply chains through generating maximum benefits from existing free trade agreements and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, Hun Sen said.

While seeking to bind all Southeast Asian nations as a strong family, ASEAN will strive to deepen and broaden relations and collaboration with external partners in the spirit of equality, mutual interest and respect, he said.

Hun Sen said he is confident ASEAN "is well prepared to overcome all the unprecedented challenges in order to prove once again that we have the determination and capability to further strengthen and promote peace, stability, security and prosperity in the region".

Xinhua