Message from Senior General Min Aung Hlaing,

Chairman of the State Administration Council,

Prime Minister of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar

on the Occasion of the 56th Anniversary of the Association of the South East Asian Nations

Esteemed Citizens and the Peoples of ASEAN, On this occasion of the 56th ASEAN Day, I have the pleasure to extend my warmest greetings and best wishes to the people of Myanmar and the peoples of the Member States of ASEAN. I also want to extend my best wishes for the success of the Association, in this ever-changing global arena, for the betterment of the people of the ASEAN Member States.

The Association was born fifty-six years ago, on 8 August 1967, by the wisdom of five founding nations: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand, during the peak of the Cold War era. The five leaders of the peace-loving nations from the region signed the document “Bangkok Declaration”, later known as “The ASEAN Declaration”.

Despite the doubt and the challenges during the evolution of the Association, nowadays, ASEAN has become one of the most successful inter-governmental organizations in the developing world. Member countries were resolved to maintain peace and stability, to promote growth and prosperity and identity of the region. The Association’s success and longevity have shown, without a doubt, by expanding to ten member nations and preparing to welcome an additional member to the family.

A growing number of countries eager to engage with the ASEAN by acceding to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) and an increasing number of external parties with various statuses of partnership also show the continued relevance of ASEAN’s fundamental principles at the international level. It is encouraged to note that 51 countries have acceded to TAC and that ASEAN is engaging with eleven dialogue partners and four out of nine Strategic Dialogue Partners have been elevated to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Moreover, ASEAN has been engaging with ten countries from Asia, Europe, Middle-East and Latin America as the Sectoral or Development Partners. Therefore, ASEAN has set another example of successful regionalism in maintaining peace, security and stability on the global stage.

Nevertheless, ASEAN is no exception as countries in the world continue to face serious global challenges. The Association needs to be more forward-looking and finely united in solving common traditional and non-traditional challenges such as natural disasters, emerging infectious diseases, transnational crimes, terrorism and food and energy security. Those challenges require unified regional approaches designed to be ASEAN-led mechanisms. The theme of the Chair of ASEAN for the year 2023, “ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth”, righteously paves the way for how ASEAN must prepare for future regional and global challenges while maintaining ASEAN Unity and Centrality as well as regional strength as the international driver of economic growth. To successfully attain the goals set out, we all need to be mindful that ASEAN’s centrality, unity and solidarity must be upheld based on the fundamental principles and norms of the Association as stipulated in the ASEAN Charter. Moreover, the Association must unite against the pressure and challenges of rising geo-political rivalries. The Association must also be more transparent, inclusive and rules-based regional architecture to avoid the turbulences which could threaten its centrality and steering roles in the ASEAN-led mechanisms.

As we are working to realize the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and regional commitments, we all need to fulfil the aspirations of our peoples while also preparing the Association’s future direction and vision for post-2025 to maintain, promote and enhance the well-being of the peoples of a resilient, innovative, dynamic and people-centred ASEAN. As a responsible member of the Association, Myanmar has been fully cooperating with the ASEAN Member States in implementing ASEAN Community Blueprints, regional integration and community building. Moreover, Myanmar never fails to fulfil its legal, financial and functional obligations, especially actively coordinating for the success of ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations and contributing to ASEAN Community building efforts across all pillars and sectors.

We, the peoples of the Member States, should unite our strengths in implementing the tasks to build a brighter future for all. On this auspicious occasion of the 56th anniversary of the Association, I wish to reaffirm our dedication to realizing the purposes and principles enshrined in the ASEAN charter and reiterate our determination to cooperate with other ASEAN member States in support of constructive efforts of the organization for peace and prosperity of the peoples in the region.

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