- Photo: asean.org portal
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: The following is His Majesty Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam’s message in conjunction with Asean Day 2024.
“Today we celebrate the 57th year of the establishment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), in the spirit of friendship that has united us throughout the years.
"Asean Day is an occasion for us to reflect on the collective achievements of this association in advancing regional peace, progress and prosperity.
“Over the past five decades, Asean has demonstrated remarkable resilience, adapting to numerous challenges while steadfastly committing to regional progress.
“At the same time, Asean member states have worked closely together and with our external partners to foster development across the region.
“This year also marks a significant milestone for Brunei Darussalam as we celebrate our 40th anniversary as a member of Asean.
"Throughout these years, I am happy to have witnessed Asean’s transformation into a leading regional platform for cooperation between our governments and people.
“The association has also further strengthened Brunei Darussalam’s bonds of friendship with the other members, supported the nation’s economic development as well as provided vast opportunities for the livelihoods of our people.
“At the same time, Brunei Darussalam continues to support Asean community building including through the Asean Junior Fellowship programme, Brunei – United States English Language Enrichment Project, Third Country Consular Assistance and hosting of the Asean Centre for Climate Change.
“Looking ahead, we recall the aspirations of Asean’s founding fathers to establish a firm foundation to build trust, expand cooperation and bring benefits to all its people.
"This continues to be relevant as we develop the Asean Community Vision 2045 and Brunei Darussalam stands ready to work closely with other member states to ensure that we can together build a resilient, innovative, dynamic and people-centred Asean.
“In this regard, we fully support Laos and their work as Chairman this year under the theme ‘Asean: Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience’ which underlines the importance of our collective effort to address shared challenges while effectively upholding Asean Centrality.
“My very best wishes for a very happy Asean Day and for a prosperous and brighter future for our people and region.” - Borneo Bulletin/ANN
