On the morning of September 5, the opening ceremony of the 43rd ASEAN Summit was solemnly held at the Jakarta Convention Center, Indonesia. The inauguration ceremony was attended by leaders of ASEAN countries, the Secretary-General of ASEAN and several representatives of partners and international organizations. Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh led the Vietnamese delegation to attend the opening ceremony.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo awarded the ASEAN Award to Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet Minh for her great contribution to the process of building the ASEAN Community. Photo: TTXVN
At the opening ceremony, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Chairman of the Conference, awarded the 2023 ASEAN Award to businesswoman Nguyen Thi Tuyet Minh for her great contribution to the process of building the ASEAN Community.
Ms. Nguyen Thi Tuyet Minh founded the ASEAN Women Entrepreneurs Network (AWEN), which helps women start businesses, grow businesses and increase economic empowerment. She also actively implemented several training and support projects for women entrepreneurs, making significant contributions to the development of Vietnamese and ASEAN women business communities that were linked to the APEC and ASEAN economies. global.
The ASEAN Awards is an annual ASEAN award held since 2018 to honor individuals and organizations that have made outstanding contributions to the process of building the ASEAN community. The ASEAN Awards contribute to raising awareness, encouraging people’s participation and contribution, and realizing a people-oriented and people-centric ASEAN Community.
Mr. Haji Muhammad Iqbal Fakhri bin Haji Damit, a citizen of Brunei Darussalam, was honored with the award in 2022 for his contributions to community development.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and heads of delegations of ASEAN countries at the opening ceremony. Photo: VGP
Speaking at the ceremony, Indonesian President Joko Widodo welcomed delegates to Jakarta to attend the conference. The President affirmed that all member states share the same pride and love for the great ASEAN family; Solidarity is a precious value that all members appreciate and preserve; However, ASEAN solidarity does not mean the absence of differences.
The Indonesian President said that in a region with diverse cultures, traditions, history and languages, unity is the harmony of differences including ideas. It is this spirit of respect for diversity that has nurtured the values of democracy and equality among the members of the ASEAN family.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo spoke at the opening of the conference. Photo: VGP
Taking the image of the “ASEAN boat” sailing out to sea, opening up to the world, cooperating with partners for the common goal of peace, security and stability, President Widodo affirmed that ASEAN is united and determined. Let the region not be ruined by becoming a place of confrontation for power, but a place to promote cooperation and dialogue for peace and prosperity. The ocean is so vast that no one can travel alone; ASEAN wishes to cooperate with all countries for mutual benefit.
The inaugural ceremony conveyed the spirit of ASEAN solidarity, always moving forward from strength to strength, highlighting ASEAN’s continued strong stature as the centerpiece of development in the region and the world.
Immediately after the opening ceremony, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and leaders of ASEAN countries attended the plenary session of the 43rd ASEAN Summit.
