This year, ASEAN has achieved considerable progress in the road to achieving durable peace, stability and prosperity of the region even though it was exposed to not a few challenges and difficulties due to the malignant pandemic disease and consequent socio-economic crisis and complicated regional situation.

ASEAN successfully held important meetings including the 28 th Ministerial Meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum, the 54 th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, the 38 th and 39 th ASEAN Summit Meetings, enhancing its pivotal role in the region. And it further consolidated its position in the international arena as required by the ASEAN Charter through continued expansion of its external relations.

In 2021, mutual cooperation was boosted among the ASEAN member states to prevent the spread of COVID-19 which swept the world and to promote economic recovery with substantial measures being taken in succession to minimize damage and recover the regional economy by deepening the cooperation and exchanges with the ASEAN partners.

ASEAN could have weathered the tribulations of the complicated regional and international situation this year. This is attributable to the concerted efforts made by its member states which gave priority to unity and cooperation between them and sought mutual solidarity, support and cooperation to enhance its pivotal role.

There still remain several unstable factors in the course of ASEAN next year but nothing can ever check strong desires and aspirations of the ASEAN member states to achieve peace, stability and economic prosperity of the region.

Hun Sen, Prime Minister of Cambodia, Chair of ASEAN in 2022, expressed the will of Cambodia to play much more positive and active role as the Chair in the regional and international arena while setting it as the main task for Cambodia next year to strengthen the unity and solidarity of ASEAN and enhance its pivotal role.

We sincerely hope that the year 2022 when the Kingdom of Cambodia will work as the Chair of ASEAN would be a year of effecting a remarkable progress in strengthening and developing ASEAN. We are also convinced that Cambodia would make a positive contribution towards developing the relations between our country and ASEAN during its term of office.

We will continue to make active efforts for further expanding and developing the long-standing and traditional relations with the ASEAN member states in accordance with the foreign policy ideas of the DPRK government which are independence, peace and friendship.

Korea-Asia Association