24 September 2013 - The ASEAN Moscow Committee (AMC) celebrated the 46th founding anniversary of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in a well-attended reception, held on September 18 at the prestigious Pushkin Museum in the heart of Moscow.
Diplomatic officials and guests from the private sector, academic institutions, and Southeast Asian expatriate communities in Moscow were treated to a distinctively ASEAN night of music, dances and culinary delights.
In her toast remarks on behalf of the AMC, Singaporean Ambassador Lim Kheng Hua highlighted key milestones in ASEAN’s 46-year existence, most notably the coming into force of the ASEAN Charter in 2008 and the strides ASEAN has made towards becoming a regional community by 2015. She also stressed the importance of Russia as a power in the Asia Pacific region and welcomed positive developments in the ASEAN-Russia dialogue partnership, such as the successful conduct of the 1st Russia-ASEAN Youth Summit held in Moscow from 13 to 14 May 2013.
Russian Ambassador-at-large Alexandor Ivanov, speaking on behalf of the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, hailed ASEAN as one of the most successful regional organizations in the world and noted the excellent political dialogue between the two sides. He underscored the need to develop strategic depth in ASEAN-Russia relations through increased engagement in the business and youth sectors. He stated that the convening of the first ever Russia-ASEAN Business Forum on June 22, at the sidelines of the Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum, was a step towards this direction.
ASEAN was established on 8 August 1967 with Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand as founding members. Since then, it has expanded in four waves to include Brunei in 1984, Vietnam in 1995, Laos and Cambodia in 1997, and finally Myanmar in 1999.
The ASEAN Moscow Committee, composed of the Ambassadors of the ten ASEAN member countries in Moscow, serves as the outpost of ASEAN in the host country and is mandated to promote the grouping’s interests and identity. END
