Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar pointed out that ASEAN is increasingly gaining affirmation and respect from the international community, thanks to the solid trust, confidence, and friendship among its member states.
In his speech at the opening ceremony of the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) and related meetings on Wednesday, he said that the ten ASEAN nations have performed relatively well, thereby reaffirming the level of trust and confidence among each member state.
Anwar mentioned that during his recent visits to Rio de Janeiro, Italy, and France, when meeting with their leaders, without exception, every time Malaysia held bilateral meetings, ASEAN topics were discussed. This fully demonstrates that ASEAN's status on the world stage is rising.
“Everyone affirms ASEAN’s role. ASEAN has now achieved an extraordinary status and won high respect and recognition from the international community. I am grateful to everyone, especially all the foreign ministers.”
He pointed out that ASEAN's strength lies in its guarantee of peace and economic growth, and therefore, its advantages must be leveraged and unity must be maintained to protect the interests of over 600 million people in the region.