In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of Vietnam’s admission to ASEAN (July 28, 1995 - 2025), Gillian Bird, who was the first Australian Ambassador to ASEAN and also served as Australia's Senior Official for the grouping for many years, said that over the past 30 years, Vietnam has become an increasingly influential and active voice within ASEAN, and contributed a lot of ideas and initiatives to the bloc.
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Australian Ambassador to Vietnam Gillian Bird |
Among them, the most notable is the ASEAN Future Forum (AFF), initiated and led by Vietnam, she stated, adding that this is a highly important initiative that bears Vietnam’s imprint. The forum has been held twice, bringing together leaders, policymakers, and experts to collectively reflect on ASEAN’s future.
According to the diplomat, ASEAN is a key partner for Australia, and Australia is the oldest dialogue partner of ASEAN.
“We need a strong ASEAN to make sure that Southeast Asia remains strong, peaceful, and prosperous. So we support ASEAN's centrality. We are delighted to have a comprehensive strategic partnership,” Bird shared.
Australia has made strong investments in ASEAN. Last year, it hosted a special summit with ASEAN leaders in Melbourne, during which it announced initiatives to support ASEAN-Australia relations, with a total value of approximately 500 million AUD (326.6 million USD). The areas of cooperation focus on issues of practical importance to both sides, such as energy security, climate change resilience, trade and investment, and education.
This is a large-scale cooperation program, and Australia greatly values Vietnam’s active participation and support across all these fields, she affirmed.
Source: VNA