The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Committee in Cuba, grouping the embassies of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, and Malaysia, held a flag-hoisting ceremony in Havana on August 9 to celebrate the 58th founding anniversary of the bloc.
The event drew the attendance of ambassadors from ASEAN member countries, along with representatives from the embassies of China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Timor-Leste, and the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Addressing the ceremony, Indonesian Ambassador Simon D.I. Soekamo, the rotating Chair of the ASEAN Committee in Cuba, highlighted the bloc's spirit of friendship and solidarity, and reaffirmed ASEAN's core values of peace, stability, and prosperity through cooperation and dialogue.
He expressed confidence that such basic principles will help the community overcome challenges in the current volatile global context.
Welcoming Timor-Leste as the eleventh member demonstrates ASEAN's commitment to promoting comprehensive cooperation in the region, he added.
The Indonesian diplomat also reaffirmed ASEAN's solidarity and determination to promote relations of cooperation and friendship with the Cuban people.
Alejandro Simancas Marín, Deputy Director General for Bilateral Affairs at the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs, lauded ASEAN's role and position in the region and the world, and thanked ASEAN for its support and assistance in calling for the lifting of the blockade and embargo against Cuba.
Cuba always attaches importance to strengthening relations with ASEAN member countries, he affirmed, emphasising Cuba's willingness to cooperate with the Southeast Asian community in the fields of biotechnology, health, education, sports, and tourism./.
