In conjunction with the ASEAN Day 2017 and to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the formation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, a Flag Raising Ceremony was held on 8th August 2017 at the Embassy of Malaysia in Belgrade. The event was co-hosted by the ASEAN Diplomatic Missions based in Belgrade, namely the Republic of Indonesia, Malaysia and the Republic of the Union of Myanmar.
The event was graced with the presence of officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Serbia and the Heads of Missions and representatives from the Asia Pacific embassies, United Nations Agencies and International Organizations based in Belgrade.
In his speech on behalf of the Heads of ASEAN diplomatic missions in Serbia, Ambassador of Indonesia His Excellency Harry Richard James Kandou highlighted ASEAN’s achievements and outlined its excellent relations with its dialogue partners including the European Union and members of the United Nations. Ambassador Kandou also spoke about further opportunities for cooperation between ASEAN and Serbia.
ASEAN was established on 8th August 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration) by the ASEAN founding members, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Brunei Darussalam joined ASEAN on 7 January 1984, followed by Vietnam on 28 July 1995, Lao PDR and Myanmar on 23 July 1997, and Cambodia on 30 April 1999, making up what is today the ten Member States of ASEAN.
