Southeast Asian envoys celebrate 50yrs of Asean

National

PEOPLE from countries in Southeast Asia living in Papua New Guinea celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) on Monday.
The event was organised by the Philippines Embassy, Malaysian High Commission and the Indonesian Embassy.
Representing the government was Foreign Affairs Secretary William Dihm.
Philippines Ambassador Bienvenido Tejano said Asean had come a long way since its inception in 1967.
It had achieved much in terms of pushing initiatives and strategies leading to regional cooperation.
He thanked PNG for being a pillar of support to many Southeast Asian countries and for the strong bilateral relationship.
Malaysian High Commissioner Jilid Kuminding said Asean was a dynamic region.
He hoped that they would foster closer cooperation in the spirit of Asean solidarity and to collaborate to further strengthen relations with PNG – bilaterally and in their capacity as a group.
He said such cooperation would significantly contribute towards the prosperity, stability and peace in South East Asia and Pacific region
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said via a video message that he would highlight Asean as a model of regionalism and a global player with the interest of the people at its core.