ASEAN Family Day 2021 held virtually in Hanoi
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the ASEAN Women's Circle of Hanoi (AWCH) on August 8 jointly held the ASEAN Family Day 2021 themed “ASEAN unites and joins hands to fight COVID-19”.
The event, organised virtually, saw the participation of leaders, officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ambassadors and representatives from ASEAN member nations and their families.
In his speech, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Head of Vietnam's SOM ASEAN Nguyen Quoc Dung highly valued and welcomed the initiative of the AWCH to organise the event virtually in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying that it is a testament to the solidarity and close cooperation among ASEAN member nations, and their determination to overcome difficulties and challenges.
Pengiran Haji Sahari bin Pengiran Haji Salleh, Ambassador of Brunei which is Chair of ASEAN 2021, applauded the commitments and efforts of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to hold the event annually, expressing his belief that activities in the framework of the programme will help strengthen mutual understanding, solidarity and friendship among members of the ASEAN family in Hanoi.
He highlighted the significance of the theme of this year's ASEAN Family Day, saying that is very appropriate with the theme of the ASEAN Chairmanship Year 2021 chaired by Brunei “We care, we prepare, we prosper”.
The diplomat spoke highly of Vietnam's leading role as the ASEAN Chair 2020 in working with other countries to respond to COVID-19, especially its proposals and initiatives to deal with the health crisis.
He affirmed that Brunei is willing to coordinate with other ASEAN member nations to promote post-pandemic economic recovery, realise the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and build a more resilient Community for the benefit and prosperity of the region and its people.
The Ambassador expressed his hope that the ASEAN countries will continue to strengthen intra-bloc cooperation and cooperative ties with their partners to implement COVID-19 response initiatives put forward by Brunei and those proposed by Vietnam last year.
Through the event, the ASEAN countries have conveyed a strong message of commitment and determination to join hands to push back the COVID-19 pandemic and recover comprehensively and sustainably.
