THE PHILIPPINES ASSUMES CHAIRMANSHIP OF THE ASEAN COMMITTEE IN RABAT
19 October 2023 – Philippine Ambassador H.E. Mr. Leslie J. Baja officially assumed the Chairmanship of the ASEAN Committee in Rabat (ACR) during a turnover ceremony hosted by the former ACR Chairperson, Vietnamese Ambassador H.E. Mrs. Dang Thi Thu Ha at the Vietnamese Embassy in Rabat.
In his remarks, Ambassador Baja conveyed his appreciation for the able leadership demonstrated by Vietnam during its Chairmanship of the ACR, and assured the group of the Philippines’ commitment to promote ASEAN interests in Morocco.
At the meeting of the ACR Heads of Missions which was conducted before the turnover ceremony, Ambassador Baja presented the Philippines’ proposed work plan for its Chairmanship from November 2023 to June 2024. Among the planned activities include a visit to the Green Energy Park and Solar Energy and New Energies Research Institute, a forum with Moroccan and international exchange students at Al Akhawayn University, a premier English university in Morocco, an economic forum with the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises, and an ASEAN Forum which will highlight the six (6) priority areas of cooperation between ASEAN member-states and Morocco, as part of the latter’s role as a new Sectoral Dialogue Partner of ASEAN.
(From L-R: Thai Ambassador H.E. Mr. Fabio Chinda, Malaysian Ambassador H.E. Ms. Dato’ Astanah Abdul Aziz, Vietnamese Ambassador H.E. Mrs. Dang Thi Thu Ha, Indonesian Ambassador H.E. Mr. Hasrul Azwar, Philippine Ambassador Mr. Leslie J. Baja, and Bruneian ChargeĢe d’Affaires Ms. Nur Hafizah Al-Islam Binti Awang Mahani)
The ACR Chairmanship rotates bi-annually among the ASEAN Ambassadors. The ACR comprises the embassies of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. END
