11 July 2016 – The Philippine Embassy in Lisbon handed over to the Embassy of Thailand the Chairmanship of the ASEAN Committee in Lisbon, Portugal (ACLP) at the Philippine Chancery. Ambassador of Thailand to Portugal Krairawee Sirikul will be taking over the Chairmanship from July to December 2016 from Philippine Ambassador to Portugal Philippe J. Lhuillier.
During the Philippine Embassy’s Chairmanship of the ACLP, the following major activities were undertaken: 1.) Meeting with Director General for External Policy of the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on February 19; 2.) Courtesy Call of the Conference of Ministers of Justice of Portuguese Speaking Countries (CMPLOP) on the ACLP Chairman on April 18; 3.) 2nd ASEAN-Portugal Forum on Strengthening Economic and Business Partnerships on April 24; and 4.) Meeting with the Secretary of State of Internationalization on June 16.
The ACLP is comprised of the Embassies of Indonesia, the Philippines, and Thailand. The only three ASEAN countries that have resident Embassies in Portugal. Recognizing a need to raise the profile of ASEAN within Portugal, the three Embassies agreed to establish the ACLP in 2015 to enhance and complement the Embassies’ respective efforts towards advancing the interests of ASEAN and provide a formal platform and mechanism by which ASEAN can be promoted within Portugal. END