Prime Minister congratulates ASEAN on its 56 years of promoting stability, unity and peace in the region
The Prime Minister, Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, has issued a message of congratulations to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on its 56th anniversary. The organisation, founded on August 8th, 1967, has been a driving force in promoting stability, unity and peace in the region, playing a vital role on the international stage.
In his message, the Head of Government stated that “ASEAN has been promoting development and prosperity for the benefit of the region and its peoples”, allowing Southeast Asia to be today “a dynamic economic power and looking to the future with great optimism”.
The Prime Minister noted that “after 24 years of struggle for independence, and another 21 years of a new struggle, now to build our democratic state and the foundations of a developed and sustainable nation, the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste continues to seek to understand the principles that guided ASEAN in transforming Southeast Asia into a community of nations, where trust, friendship and cooperation are the values that bring together so many and diverse nations”.
He also expressed his belief that “together, we can face the challenges before us, and seize the enormous opportunities that the region offers us all” and wished “every success in building an ever stronger ASEAN, with respect for Human Rights and Democratic Freedoms”.
