THE Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the ASEAN Community, its unity and centrality at the 43rd ASEAN Summit.

The three-day ASEAN Summit and related summits, under the theme “ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth,” concluded Thursday.

“We reviewed ASEAN’s progress and reaffirmed our commitment to further strengthen ASEAN as an organization that is robust and agile, equipped with strengthened capacity and institutional effectiveness to address today’s challenges and to remain relevant for its people, the region, and the world,” said a Chairman’s Statement of the 43rd ASEAN Summit issued Wednesday.

ASEAN countries also reaffirmed their shared commitment to maintaining and promoting peace, security and stability in the region, as well as to the peaceful resolution of disputes, the statement said.

They pledged to uphold regionalism and multilateralism and emphasized the importance of adhering to key principles, shared values, and norms enshrined in the United Nations Charter, the ASEAN Charter, and the Declaration on Zone of Peace, Freedom and Neutrality, among others.

A series of documents have been adopted at the summit, including the ASEAN Concord IV, ASEAN Leaders’ Declaration on ASEAN as an Epicentrum of Growth.

The ASEAN Concord IV consolidates the bloc’s continued efforts to ensure that ASEAN matters for the region and its people, and remains an epicenter of growth in the region and beyond.

ASEAN countries have vowed to further encourage their partners to engage in practical and tangible cooperation with the bloc in the four key areas of maritime cooperation, connectivity, U.N. Sustainable Development Goals 2030, and economy.

“We were pleased with the significant progress in the implementation of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement,” the statement said, noting the urgent need to ensure effective implementation of RCEP to support the regional post-pandemic economic recovery.

(Xinhua)