09 August 2016 – The Philippine Embassy in Rome led the celebration of the 49th anniversary of the founding of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) at the Embassy’s Multi-purpose Hall on August 08.
Philippine Ambassador to Italy Domingo P. Nolasco hosted the ambassadors of the ASEAN Committee in Rome (ACR) for the commemoration of ASEAN Day. All the members of the ACR, Ambassador August Parengkuan of Indonesia, Ambassador Abdul Samad Othman of Malaysia, Ambassador Myint Naung of Myanmar, Ambassador Tana Weskosith of Thailand, and Ambassador Cao Chinh Thien of Viet Nam, were present during the celebration. Ambassador Nolasco is the current chairperson of the Committee.
“We welcome the growing interest of the Italian Government and Italian businesses in ASEAN. Let us build up on the momentum created by our predecessors in the ASEAN Committee in Rome to sustain their interest in ASEAN,” said Ambassador Nolasco during his remarks.
ASEAN is now the third largest economy in Asia and the seventh largest in the world since it was founded on August 08, 1967 in Bangkok. In 2015, ASEAN launched the ASEAN Community, composed of its three pillars – Political-Security, Economic, and Socio-Cultural.
“The ASEAN Committee in Rome is in a remarkable position to boost the image of ASEAN and to increase awareness of ASEAN to the Italian public and the international organizations based in Rome,” Ambassador Nolasco added.
Ambassador Nolasco encouraged ACR members to work towards a more integrated and people-centered ASEAN community. He added that ASEAN should also be promoted among the members of the respective communities of the ACR members. END
