At the opening ceremony (Photo: VNA) The ASEAN cultural week kicked off in Mexico on October 27 to promote friendship and multi-faceted cooperation between the bloc and the Latin American country.
Chairman of the Mexican Senate’s Foreign Affairs Committee for the Asia-Pacific, Senator Teofilo Torres Corzo, reviewed the establishment and development of ASEAN from 1967 to 2015, highlighting the formation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by the year’s end with the motto “One Vision, One Identity, One Community”.
Hailing ASEAN’s position in the international arena, he noted that the bloc is the second biggest economy in Asia and the world’s fourth largest exporter with over 600 million consumers.
To this end, Mexico cannot miss cooperation opportunities with ASEAN member states, he said, adding that the Latin American country regards ASEAN as a leading partner and is eager to boost collaboration with the group across fields.
The week, hence, creates a chance to develop comprehensive cooperation between ASEAN and Mexico as well as between Mexico and separate members of the bloc, he added.
Following the opening ceremony, visitors were treated to special art programmes and dishes from five ASEAN member states – the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, which have embassies in Mexico.
An ASEAN workshop was held as part of the culture week. Vietnamese Ambassador Le Linh Lan reviewed relations between ASEAN and dialogue countries as well as the association’s central role in the regional structure.
The ASEAN culture week will run until October 30 with a series of activities such as a photo exhibition, a traditional food display, and a dialogue on tourism and martial arts.-VNA
