He expressed his pleasure that the forum continues to attract broad participation and strong support from ASEAN member states, dialogue partners and the international community.

The Vietnamese leader said the strong attendance at the event reflects a shared interest in ASEAN’s future and a common wish to exchange ideas and contribute to shaping the region’s development trajectory in a new era.

Commending the constructive and responsible contributions made during the forum, General Secretary and President Lam noted that ASEAN is now in the first year of implementing the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, a period marked by new opportunities and high expectations for development.

Against the backdrop of a rapidly evolving, increasingly complex and unpredictable regional and global environment, he stressed that ASEAN’s foremost priority is to preserve a peaceful and stable environment conducive to development, strengthen economic competitiveness and resilience, and improve the well-being of its people.

The bloc’s achievements over nearly six decades have demonstrated the enduring value of its core principles, including unity, consensus, centrality and inclusiveness.

Building on these foundations, he said, ASEAN should continue to innovate its thinking and working methods, enhance its adaptability and improve the implementation of common commitments in order to better meet development requiremment in the new phase.

He underscored that ASEAN’s success should ultimately be measured by the tangible benefits it delivers to people and businesses across the region.

Sharing the ASEAN Future Forum initiative, General Secretary and President Lam stressed that peace, stability and sustainable development can only be nurtured through solidarity, dialogue, trust-building and mutually beneficial cooperation.

These principles were the inspiration behind Vietnam’s decision to launch the forum, with the aim of creating an additional platform for open, substantive and future-oriented dialogue, complementing ASEAN’s existing cooperation mechanisms while encouraging innovative thinking and collective action for regional development.

Representatives of participating delegations highly praised Vietnam’s initiative in establishing the ASEAN Future Forum, describing it as a reputable, open, inclusive and constructive platform that contributes meaningfully to discussions on ASEAN’s long-term development directions.

They also spoke highly of Vietnam’s foreign policy, reflected in the consistent messages delivered by General Secretary and President Lam at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, China’s Tsinghua University and the ASEAN Secretariat. They viewed these engagements as evidence of Vietnam’s proactive and responsible contributions to peace, dialogue and cooperation in the region.

They also expressed confidence that the AFF will continue to strengthen its role as a bridge connecting leaders, policymakers, scholars, businesses, youth representatives and other stakeholders, and fostering candid and substantive talks on strategic issues facing the region.

The top Vietnamese leader and the delegates shared the view that ASEAN will continue to uphold its central role, strengthen internal solidarity, enhance its capacity to respond to emerging challenges and effectively implement the ASEAN Community Vision 2045.

Through these efforts, they said, ASEAN will further reinforce its standing as a dynamic, resilient and trusted partner committed to promoting peace, stability and sustainable development in the region and the world./.