ASEAN Embassies in Greece Celebrates 56 Years of Unity and Solidarity

ASEAN Embassies in Greece Celebrates 56 Years of Unity and Solidarity

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Cake cutting ceremony by the ASEAN Ambassadors (photo from Athens PE)

ATHENS 11 August 2023 - Philippine Ambassador to Greece Giovanni E. Palec, with Mrs. Novelyn Palec, led the Philippine Embassy personnel during the commemoration of the 56th ASEAN Founding Anniversary, on 08 August 2023, in Athens, Greece.

Indonesian Ambassador and ASEAN Committee in Athens (ACAT) Chair Bebeb A.K. Nugraha DjunDjunan hosted this year’s celebration in his official residence.

Thai Ambassador Designate Sathana Kashemsanta Na Ayudhya, and Viet Chargé d’Affaires, a.i. Ms. Phuong Thuy Nguyen of Vietnam also joined the ceremony.

The guest of honor this year was Greece’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Secretary General for International Economic Affairs Maria Myrogianni. The other distinguished guests included representatives from ASEAN Dialogue Partners, South Korea Ambassador Jung II Lee, Australian Ambassador Alison Duncan, Indian Ambassador Rudrendra Tandon, Greek Foreign Ministry Director for Asia and Oceania Theodoros Michalopoulos, Salamina Mayor Giorgios Panagopoulos, and other Foreign Ministry officials.

In his welcome remarks, Ambassador DjunDjunan highlighted the evolution of the ASEAN, becoming a key player of peace, security, and prosperity in the region and a model for regionalism based on three key dimensions, namely regional peace and security, economic integration, and institution building. He also noted that ASEAN is one of the fastest growing regions in Asia with a forecasted GDP of USD 5.2 trillion in 2025 and that it is poised to become the fourth largest market by 2030, after the European Union, US, and China.

In her remarks, Secretary General Myrogianni stated that the Asia Pacific is among the key players in the world in terms of security and economy. She also spoke about strengthening relations with partners in the region and creating synergies in order to produce tangible results in various areas of cooperation.

Ambassador Palec then joined the other Ambassadors of the ASEAN Member States for the traditional cake cutting ceremony.

The program showcased the “Ratoh Jaroe” dance, a traditional dance originating from Aceh, Indonesia. The unique characteristic of the dance is the harmonious movement by the dancers. The Ratoh Jaroe was performed to represent the unity and solidarity of ASEAN.

After the ceremony, all guests were delighted to experience the ASEAN hospitality as they were invited to share and enjoy a variety of traditional dishes.

Ambassador Palec welcomed guests at the Philippine booth and invited them to try Filipino delicacies.

The Philippine Embassy served pancit palabok (noodles seasoned with shrimp sauce and topped with shrimp, smoked fish flakes, fried tofu, egg, and scallions), lumpiang gulay (fried spring roll with mixed vegetables), and the popular halo-halo (a cold desert of crushed ice, evaporated milk, and various ingredients, such as ube jam, sweetened kidney beans, coconut strips, sago, agar, rice crispies, soft yam, flan).

The Indonesian Embassy offered mie bakso (a popular meatball soup that includes three main ingredients, namely broth, noodles, and meatballs with a splash of chili or soy sauce), pastel (a cake made of this pastry crust, with a filling of chicken or beef meat, carrots, bean sprouts, rice vermicelli, and sometimes boiled eggs, then deep fried in vegetable oil), and kue lumpur (a small pancake with coconut cream and raisins).

The Thai Embassy presented the pad thai (stir-fried rice noodle mixed with shrimp, peanuts, scrambled egg, and bean sprouts and fried in a wok), tod man (a fish cake snack made of finely ground fish, red curry paste, lime leaves and lemon grass), and mung bean cake (a popular summertime treat made with lightly sweetened mung bean paste).

The Vietnamese Embassy served bánh cuốn (made from a thin, wide sheet of fermented rice batter filled with a mixture of cooked seasoned chicken, minced wood ear mushroom, and shallots), nem rán (a fried spring roll made of minced chicken and wrapped in bánh tráng rice paper), and sweet corn soup (a summer dessert with corn milk, green beans and a bit of tapioca flour and usually served with ice and coconut milk).

The guests took time to visit all the Embassy booths for a taste of these rich and savory dishes.

With the graceful cultural performance and variety of traditional recipes, the ACAT have celebrated and shown the guests the unity, solidarity, and shared aspirations of the ASEAN countries amidst their rich and diverse cultures through 56 years. END

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