A ceremony was held in Rome, Italy, on October 20 to mark 50 years since the establishment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and 40 years of ASEAN-European Union (EU) diplomatic ties.
The ambassador of the six ASEAN countries that are membesr of the ASEAN Committee in Rome (Photo: VNA)
Rome (VNA)– A ceremony was held in Rome, Italy, on October 20 to mark 50 years since theestablishment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and 40years of ASEAN-European Union (EU) diplomatic ties.
In his speech, Thai Ambassador to Italy TanaWekosith, rotating Chairman of the ASEAN Committee in Rome (ACR), reviewed the50-year development of ASEAN and emphasised the achievements that the ASEANande EU have attained as well as the prospect of bilateral relations.
The ASEAN and EU are now making up 18 percent ofthe world’s population and 26 percent of the global GDP, he said, adding thatboth play important roles in promoting peace and prosperity at the regional andglobal scale.
Representatives of Italy and the EU delegationshared the view that with its central role in shaping regional cooperationmechanisms, the ASEAN Community is becoming a successful regional integrationmodel in all the three key fields of politics and regional security, economicintegration and institutional building.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Italy Cao Chinh Thientold Vietnam News Agency reporters that all ambassadors of ASEAN countries toRome who serve as ACR Chair on a rotational basis have made efforts to enhancethe bloc’s role and position in Italy. They have also worked to boost the ACR’srelations with administrations of Italian localities and EU agencies.
As the ASEAN is celebrating its 50th founding anniversary in 2017, the ACR’s activities are critical to improvingItalian people’s understanding about ASEAN, a community of countries withdynamic development that plays an increasingly important role in Asia-Pacific.
The ACR was set up in August 2011 with the aim ofcoordinating the ASEAN embassies’ viewpoints and activities and promoting thegrouping’s images and prestige in Italy.
It groups theambassadors of six ASEAN nations to Italy, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar,the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. The ACT Chair is rotated among theambassadors in every six months.-VNA
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The ambassador of the six ASEAN countries that are membesr of the ASEAN Committee in Rome (Photo: VNA) 
