Celebrating the 58th Anniversary of ASEAN in Ottawa, Canada

The ceremony took place in a solemn and cozy atmosphere, an opportunity to look back on the journey of nearly 6 decades of formation and development of ASEAN.

Delegates attending the Memorial Ceremony.

On the evening of August 7 in Ottawa, Ambassador Pham Vinh Quang, in his role as Chairman of the ASEAN Committee in Ottawa, chaired the Ceremony to celebrate the 58th anniversary of ASEAN's founding and the 48th anniversary of ASEAN-Canada relations.

The ceremony was attended by many Ambassadors, Heads of representative agencies of countries and international organizations in Ottawa, Canada, and representatives of the Canadian Government, ministries and sectors, along with more than 200 diplomatic guests in Canada.

Taking place in a solemn and cozy atmosphere, the Anniversary Ceremony is an opportunity to look back on the journey of nearly 6 decades of formation and development of ASEAN. This is also an opportunity for ASEAN member countries, representatives of the Government , ministries and sectors of Canada to congratulate ASEAN on its success in the process of building the ASEAN Community, and at the same time affirm their commitment to cooperation and sustainable development in the coming time.

Speaking at the ceremony, Ambassador Pham Vinh Quang affirmed the historical milestone of the establishment of ASEAN on August 8, 1967, transforming Southeast Asia from a modest group of countries into an ASEAN Community operating on the basis of the Charter and comprehensively developing in terms of politics -security, economy and culture-society.

Ambassador Pham Vinh Quang emphasized that ASEAN, the world's fifth largest economy with a total GDP of nearly 4 trillion USD, is increasingly consolidating its role as a driving force for regional stability and the center of regional and global integration through ASEAN-led mechanisms.

Emphasizing that 2025 is also the 30th anniversary of Vietnam's accession to ASEAN, the Ambassador affirmed that Vietnam considers ASEAN a top priority in its foreign, security and economic policies; emphasizing that Vietnam's path of development, innovation and successful integration is closely linked to ASEAN.

During that process, the Ambassador once again affirmed Vietnam's commitment to continue to actively, proactively and responsibly contribute, together with the ASEAN Community to realize its goals and visions and continue writing its success story.

In the context of complex changes in the world, geopolitical and strategic competition is evolving deeply, Ambassador Pham Vinh Quang emphasized that ASEAN needs to be more united and proactive than ever to adapt and overcome difficulties on the path of development.

In particular, the Ambassador shared the priorities and efforts to promote integration, innovation, promote green development, digital transformation, equitable and sustainable development, invest in human resources and improve institutional capacity, and implement commitments towards zero emissions by 2050...

At the same time, the Ambassador welcomed the ASEAN Embassies and representative agencies in Ottawa to continuously enhance the position and image of ASEAN in the world, deepen the ASEAN-Canada Strategic Partnership, and combine the strengths and priorities of both sides to bring real benefits to the people of ASEAN and Canada.

Ambassador Pham Vinh Quang spoke at the ceremony.

Speaking as the guest of honor at the ceremony, Mr. Yasir Naqvi, Deputy Minister of Parliament for International Trade of Canada, sent warm congratulations to Vietnam and ASEAN countries on this important occasion and highly appreciated the remarkable development of ASEAN over the past nearly 6 decades.

Emphasizing that the ASEAN-Canada Strategic Partnership lies at the heart of the common goal of promoting peace, security and stability in the region, Mr. Yasir affirmed Canada's commitment to upholding multilateralism, promoting rules-based trade, diversifying trade relations, agricultural and food cooperation, digital transformation, etc., especially striving to soon complete the ASEAN-Canada Free Trade Agreement, towards the 50th anniversary of the ASEAN-Canada dialogue partnership in 2027.

Sharing his speech at the ceremony, Senator Clément Gignac, Chairman of the ASEAN-Canada Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group, expressed his support for promoting people-to-people exchanges, close cooperation, and enhancing trust between the two sides in a rapidly evolving and complex geopolitical environment.

Within the framework of the ASEAN Day Celebration on August 8, Vietnam hosted the ASEAN Family Day 2025 in Ottawa, Canada to contribute to strengthening solidarity and the spirit of the ASEAN community in Ottawa.

At the same time, as ASEAN Chair in Ottawa from June 2025 to December 2025, Vietnam will coordinate with the Embassies of ASEAN countries in Canada to implement many specific and substantive activities to contribute to enhancing the image of ASEAN in Canada, bringing the ASEAN-Canada Strategic Partnership to greater depth and sustainable development.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/ky-niem-58-nam-thanh-lap-asean-tai-ottawa-canada-323743.html