Today is the 57th ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Day being celebrated across the world and on the annual commemoration of the founding of the Association, on August 8 each year, the member states celebrate the establishment of ASEAN.
The theme of this year’s ASEAN Day is ‘Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience’ and a plethora of events that promote regional solidarity and showcase ASEAN’s achievements and objectives are conducted as part of the ASEAN Day celebrations.
It is imperative for ASEAN to enhance its cooperation on ASEAN connectivity and resilience through intensifying ASEAN cooperation under the three community pillars; promoting infrastructure connectivity, narrowing development gap, promoting greater economic integration and people-to-people exchanges and further strengthening ASEAN’s relations with external partners, while maintaining ASEAN's relevance and ASEAN centrality in the evolving regional architecture.
57 years since its founding on 8 August 1967, ASEAN now has 10 members and will soon be 11.
On the occasion, members of the ASEAN Committee in Muscat (ACM) wished for peace, stability and prosperity in the years ahead. Here is what they had to say:
Noralizan Binti Abdul Momin, Ambassador of Brunei Darussalam
"As we celebrate the 57th anniversary of the establishment of ASEAN this year, I am pleased that Brunei Darussalam will continue to work closely with all ASEAN member states as well as external partners, including through existing ASEAN-led mechanisms, to achieve the shared goals for peace, stability and prosperity in the years ahead. At the same time, it is imperative that ASEAN continues to strengthen cooperation with its partners further."
Mohamad Irzan Djohan, Ambassador of Indonesia
"As ASEAN is the inner circle of Indonesia's foreign policy, Indonesia is unwavering in its commitment to increasing stability and security in Southeast Asia. This commitment is in the interests of economic development and the welfare of the people of Indonesia and the region. Our dedication to maintaining peace and stability in the Southeast Asia region, which ASEAN has achieved over the last decade, is evident in its prioritisation of the principle of free and active foreign affairs and its efforts to increase cooperation in the region."
Shaiful Anuar Mohammad, Ambassador of Malaysia
"Over the nearly six decades of ASEAN’s existence, ASEAN has contributed towards tangible and significant progress, not only for the region as a whole but also individually for its member states and its peoples. Malaysia has previously been the Chair of ASEAN in 1977, 1997, 2005 and 2015. As the incoming Chair of ASEAN in 2025, Malaysia will place greater emphasis on the peoples, who are the nucleus of the ASEAN community."
Raul S Hernandez, Ambassador of Philippines
"As a founding member of ASEAN, the Philippines has maintained key importance towards its members as partners in many aspects — from economic partnerships, cultural and social development, to peace and security. This approach sustains its position as a friendly neighbour in line with its foreign policies. History underscores the strong trade relations and economic integration among our peoples."
Syed Noureddin bin Syed Hassim, Chargé d'Affaires of Singapore's Embassy
"Singapore remains deeply committed to ASEAN and to fostering close ties beyond the region to develop friendly relations and mutually beneficial dialogue cooperation and partnerships with countries and sub-regional, regional and international organisations and institutions. With a population of over 600 million over 4.5 million km2, ASEAN is culturally and linguistically diverse. The total GDP of ASEAN reached $3.6 trillion in 2022, positioning it as the fifth largest economy in the world, after the United States, China, Japan and Germany."
Ek-Att Thitaram, Chargé d'Affaires at the Thailand Embassy
"ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, embodies a spirit of collaboration and mutual respect among its 10 member states, fostering peace and prosperity of our community in all aspects, political-security, economic, and socio-cultural amidst regional and global challenges. The 6 embassies in Oman have been working together hand-in-hand, as ASEAN Committee in Oman, to engage with Omani counterparts, both public and private sectors, in Muscat and also in other governorates, to find ways to bring the long-standing friendly relations between ASEAN members and Oman to new heights in all areas of mutual interests."
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