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EMBASSY OF BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA

EMBASSY OF MALAYSIA

EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

EMBASSY OF THE REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE

ROYAL THAI EMBASSY

57^th Anniversary of the founding of ASEAN

8 August 2024: On the momentus occasion of the 57^th Anniversary of ASEAN, ASEAN Heads of Mission in Dili, Timor-Leste, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste (MNEC) hosted an ASEAN Day Reception at the MNEC.

The Guest of Honour, His Excellency President Jose Ramos-Horta, addressed the gathering and also in attendance, Her Excellency President of the National Parliament, Her Excellency Maria Fernanda Lay and His Excellency Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana Gusmão, dignitaries including Ministers and Vice Ministers, and Secretary of State of the Ninth (IX) Constitutional Government, senior Government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, representatives of international organizations, representatives of the ASEAN diaspora in Dili, and the private sector. All guest were feted to a wide variety of ASEAN delicacies portraying the richness and diversity of the region’s gastronomy, accompanied by cultural performances.

As we celebrate the 57 years of ASEAN, we look back at the achievements of our community, and its evolution throughout the decades. We were encouraged by Timor-Leste’s continued commitment towards implementing the Roadmap for Full Membership in ASEAN as adopted at the 42^nd ASEAN Summit, including attending ASEAN meetings and activities across three pillars of the ASEAN Communities and ASEAN Connectivity. We reiterate our commitment to continue providing capacity-building assistance to Timor-Leste, and call on our ASEAN’s Dialogue Partners and other external partners to continue supporting Timor-Leste towards this endeavor.

Under the theme “ASEAN: Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience” by Lao PDR’s as ASEAN Chairmanship in 2024, we acknowledged the good progress in and reaffirmed our commitment to the implementation and realisation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025, including the three ASEAN Community Blueprints, the Masterplan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025 (MPAC) and the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) Work Plan IV.

We wish to acknowledge the contributions of all ASEAN Missions in Dili and MNEC towards the success of today’s event.

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