Stronger Together: ASEAN Member States in Tehran Mark 55th ASEAN Anniversary
ASEAN Way. Heads of Missions of ASEAN Member States in Tehran is joined by Iranian Assistant Foreign Minister and Director General for Asia and Oceania Affairs Reza Zabib (3rd from right) in a ceremonial ASEAN handshake during the 55th ASEAN Anniversary celebration in Tehran City on 16 August 2022. From left: Brunei Darussalam Ambassador Awang Haji Ismail Haji Abd Manap, Indonesian Ambassador Ronny Prasetyo Yuliantoro, Malaysian Chargé d'affaires a.i. Mohd Nizam bin Halimi, and Vietnamese Ambassador Luong Quoc Huy. From right: Philippine Chargé d'affaires Roberto G. Manalo and Thai Ambassador Worawoot Pongprapapant. (Tehran PE photo)
TEHRAN 19 August 2022 — The Philippine Embassy in Tehran, led by Chargé d'affaires Roberto G. Manalo, joined the ASEAN Tehran Committee (ATC) in celebrating the 55th anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in a diplomatic reception held at Embassy of Thailand in Tehran, on 16 August 2022.
Current ATC Chairperson Vietnamese Ambassador to Tehran Luong Quoc Huy led the in-person event, along with the rest of the ATC heads of posts to Tehran: Brunei Darussalam Ambassador Awang Haji Ismail Haji Abd Manap, Indonesian Ambassador Ronny Prasetyo Yuliantoro, Thai Ambassador Worawoot Pongprapapant, Philippine Chargé d'affaires Manalo, and Malaysian Chargé d'affaires a.i. Mohd Nizam bin Halimi.
Iranian Assistant Foreign Minister and Director General for Asia and Oceania Affairs Reza Zabib served as the guest of honor.
“I reiterate the strong will of the people and the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to continue and strengthen cooperation with ASEAN Member States with a view to utilize their respective potentials for the benefit of their nations and strengthen the stability and progress in the two regions of East and West Asia for a better world, and to help create and expand more inclusive peace and friendship with a discourse based on the rule of law and the international system,” Assistant Foreign Minister Zabib said in his remarks.
Underscoring the successes and potential of one of the most dynamic and successful multilateral organizations, Ambassador Quoc Huy remarked, “As the 5th largest economy in the world with an increasing depth and substance in the region, the ASEAN is a powerhouse both in economic and geopolitical spheres.”
The Ambassador also expressed the ATC’s eagerness in continually working with the Islamic Republic of Iran to enhance relations of friendship and cooperation. “As we rise to face challenging times and uncertain post Covid-19 recovery period, the resolve to be of service to one another in the spirit of brotherhood and solidarity will help us succeed and thrive”, Ambassador Quoc Huy added.
Diplomats in Tehran and guests from various Iranian government and non-government institutions attended the celebration together with the personnel of the ASEAN Embassies in Tehran. The reception featured a selection of cuisines and delicacies from the ASEAN.
On the sidelines, Chargé d'affaires Manalo held a brief discussion with Director General Zabib on several bilateral concerns and cooperation, as well as forthcoming Philippines-Iran consultative meetings, which both parties are currently preparing for.
ASEAN was established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration, known as “Bangkok Declaration”, by the “Founding Fathers of ASEAN”, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. Brunei Darussalam joined on 7 January 1984, Viet Nam on 28 July 1995, Lao PDR and Myanmar on 23 July 1997, and Cambodia on 30 April 1999, making up what is today the 10 ASEAN Member States.
The ASEAN Tehran Committee is one of the 54 ASEAN Committees in Third Countries and International Organizations (ACTCs) that have been fully endorsed and formally established in the national capitals and other key cities around the world with the aim to promote ASEAN's interests and identity in the concerned host countries or international organizations. It comprises six ASEAN Member States that have diplomatic missions in Iran: Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam. END
Heads of Missions of ASEAN Member States in Tehran is joined by Iranian Assistant Foreign Minister and Director General for Asia and Oceania Affairs Reza Zabib (3rd from left) in the cake-cutting ceremony during the 55th ASEAN Anniversary celebration in Tehran City on 16 August 2022. From left: Brunei Darussalam Ambassador Awang Haji Ismail Haji Abd Manap, Indonesian Ambassador Ronny Prasetyo Yuliantoro, Malaysian Chargé d'affaires a.i. Mohd Nizam bin Halimi, and Vietnamese Ambassador Luong Quoc Huy. From right: Philippine Chargé d'affaires Roberto G. Manalo and Thai Ambassador Worawoot Pongprapapant. (Tehran PE photo)
On the sidelines of the ASEAN Anniversary Celebration in Tehran, Chargé d'affaires Roberto G. Manalo (left) briefly discusses with Iranian Assistant Foreign Minister and Director General for Asia and Oceania Affairs Reza Zabib (right) several matters towards furthering the Philippines and Iran bilateral relations. (Tehran PE photo)
Iranian Assistant Foreign Minister and Director General for Asia and Oceania Affairs Reza Zabib serves as Guest of Honor in the 55th ASEAN Anniversary celebration in Tehran City on 16 August 2022. (Tehran PE photo)
Members of the Philippine Embassy in Tehran, led by Chargé d'affaires Roberto G. Manalo (sixth from right), join in the celebration of the ASEAN 55th Anniversary through a diplomatic reception held at Embassy of Thailand in Tehran, on 16 August 2022. (Tehran PE photo)
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