New Asean committee set up in Abu Dhabi

The embassies of member states of Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) in the UAE has established an Asean committee in Abu Dhabi to help promote the association's interests and identity in the host countries as well as international organisations. The heads of the missions (of Asean member states) signed a memorandum of intent in this regard at a ceremony to celebrate the 44th anniversary of Asean at the Indonesian Embassy in Abu Dhabi on Monday evening. The committee aims to enhance Asean's engagement with the GCC, said a statement issued by the Indonesian Embassy. Indonesia is the current chair of Asean this year. The Asean anniversary celebrations were held at the Indonesian Embassy in Abu Dhabi as well as the consulate in Dubai under the theme ‘Asean Community in a Global Community of Nations'. Diplomats from members states' missions such as Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, and Asean's dialogue partner countries in the UAE, as well as officials from the UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs attended the event. Mohammad Wahid Supriyadi, the Indonesian Ambassador to the UAE, inaugurated the ceremony. The celebration is a reaffirmation of Asean's agenda to make the assiciation's communities locally integrated and globally connected by 2015, he said. The Asean flag was hoisted, accompanied by its anthem. Asean missions all over the world will be flying the flag alongside their national flags.