Luxembourg will continue to support ASEAN Community building efforts to demonstrate its commitment to deepen relations with the region, the country’s new Ambassador to ASEAN Robert Lauer has told ASEAN Secretary-General Le Luong Minh.

According to the ASEAN Secretariat, during the presentation of his Letter of Credence Ambassador Lauer said that Luxembourg attaches great importance to its relations with ASEAN both bilaterally as well as in the ASEAN-EU framework.

He stated that Luxembourg follows with keen interest the developments in ASEAN, particularly its regional integration efforts.

Ambassador Lauer expressed his Government's continued support and encouragement to the ASEAN Community building efforts and looked forward to seeing the realisation of the Community at the end of this year. He also stressed that the regional integration experience of the European Union could serve as a valuable lesson for ASEAN to learn from.

Secretary-General Minh congratulated Ambassador Lauer on his appointment as the Ambassador of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg to ASEAN. He stated that the accreditation reflects Luxembourg's commitment to forge closer relations with ASEAN and welcomed his Government's goodwill and support for ASEAN Community building. He updated Ambassador Lauer on the progress of the ASEAN Community building and that ASEAN is making steady progress towards building an integrated, well connected, and people-oriented ASEAN Community by the end of this year.-VNA