I wish to extend my heartfelt congratulations to ASEAN on the 50th anniversary of its founding.
Over the past 50 years, ASEAN has been resolute in pursuing integration in the areas of politics, security, the economy, society and culture. Thus, the ASEAN Community was founded at the end of 2015. During these five decades, ASEAN has played a major role in ensuring the stability and prosperity not only in its own region, but also in the whole of Asia.
At the time of its founding, ASEAN was still suffering from underdevelopment. Despite this, ASEAN member states overcame their differences in terms of country size, political regimes, and sociocultural character and achieved their current international positions. From the perspective of world history, this is a remarkable accomplishment. Historically, regions that were surrounded by great powers often suffered from conflicts and divisions, and were thus forced to endure tragic circumstances. Southeast Asia was no exception. With their strong and wise leadership, however, ASEAN leaders have overcome various difficulties and obstacles to move steadily toward regional integration.