JAKARTA: President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and First Lady Iriana welcomed the arrival of heads of state and government participating in the 43rd summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in Jakarta today (September 5), reported Antara news agency.
The couple personally welcomed and greeted delegates who started arriving at the Plenary Hall of the Jakarta Convention Center, the main venue for the summit, at around 9:35am local time.
Laos Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, of the Thailand Foreign Affairs Ministry Secretary-General, Sarun Charoensuwan, the Philippines president Ferdinand Marcos Jr, and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong arrived successively at the venue.
Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, and the Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah, accompanied by Prince Abdul Mateen, then joined the Asean delegates at the venue.
Timor-Leste Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao is also in attendance at the 43rd ASEAN Summit as an observer.
Indonesia, as the host of the summit and the 2023 chair of Asean, also invited the President of Bangladesh Mohammed Shahabuddin, as Chairman of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), as well as Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown, as Chairman of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), to the summit.
Meanwhile, Asean is still banning political delegates from Myanmar from attending the bloc’s meetings following the country’s ongoing unresolved political crisis induced by the coup conducted by its military junta against the elected government.
The 43rd Asean, being held from September 5-7, commenced with the delegates singing the Asean anthem together, before enjoying an art performance by Aemove Dancer and Gitabumi Voices, among others.
On the first day of the summit, the delegates will take part in a plenary session, an Asean-Indo-Pacific Forum (AIPF) meeting, and a retreat session.
This year, Indonesia is carrying the chairmanship theme of “Asean Matters: Epicentrum of Growth” which reflects its resolve to preserve the relevance of Asean in the global arena and ensure that the bloc will be capable of facing challenges ahead while promoting regional stability and peace.
Through the promotion of the theme, Indonesia envisions Southeast Asia as a resilient, adaptive, and inclusive region and retains the region’s position as the world’s center of economic growth by encouraging Asean countries to strengthen collaboration.
Source: New Straitst Times
