prijava
SARAJEVO, August 8 (FENA) - The Indonesian and Malaysian embassies in Bosnia and Herzegovina marked the 52nd anniversary of the founding of ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, today in Sarajevo.
ASEAN is an international organization established in 1967 in Bangkok to develop economic, social and cultural relations with the aim of maintaining peace and stability in Southeast Asia.
Indonesia's Ambassador Amelia Achmad Yani said ASEAN represents the ideas of peace and stability as the foundation for economic growth in the region.
“In ten ASEAN member countries, there are about 600 million people and geographically speaking, we are island-states,” she explained.
Ambassador Yani emphasized that during earlier ASEAN summits, leaders introduced new directives known as 'ASEAN Perspectives'. Those perspectives, she added, are based on peace, strengthening a culture of dialogue and cooperation.
Malaysian Ambassador to BiH Zakri Jaafar stressed the importance of celebrating the anniversary of the founding of the Association and recalled that this group of countries in Southeast Asia was subject to conflict and unrest before joining the ASEAN.
“After the founding of ASEAN, there were no conflicts that were prevalent in the earlier period,” said the Ambassador, adding that he would celebrate the anniversary of founding of ASEAN today in a family atmosphere, because of all ASEAN members, only the embassies of Malaysia and Indonesia exist in BiH.
ASEAN's anniversary celebrations were attended by many guests, including representatives of the embassies of Japan, China and Pakistan in BiH.
The founding countries of ASEAN are: Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines. Later the following countries joined the Association: Brunei (1984), Vietnam (1995), Laos and Myanmar (1997), and Cambodia (1999).
(FENA) L. N.
