Vietnam officially handed over its chairmanship of the Committee of Permanent Representatives to ASEAN (CPR) to Indonesia , which will chair the regional grouping in 2011, at a ceremony held in Jakarta , Indonesia , on Jan. 12.

Deputy Permanent Vietnamese Representative to ASEAN Nguyen Duc Thang handed over the CPR symbol to Permanent Indonesian Representative, Ambassador I Gede Ngurah Swajaya.

At the ceremony, the ASEAN Secretary General and the Indonesian Foreign Minister pressed the button to launch the CPR portal 2011.

ASEAN Secretary General Surin Pitsuwan stressed on the achievements made by the group in 2010 under Vietnam’s chairmanship and praised Indonesia for its preparations and determination as ASEAN Chair 2011, which he said showed in its slogan “ASEAN Community in Global Community of Nations”.

Surin Pitsuwan also spoke highly of the Indonesian leadership in its ASEAN Chair 2011 to further ensure ASEAN central role in the evolving regional architecture, and impose ASEAN’s position not only in the region but also in the world by making practical contributions to solving common concerns in the world./.