Pompeo congratulates Asean on 53rd anniversary

ON behalf of the United States government, Secretary of State Michael Pompeo on Friday congratulated the 10 member-states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and the Asean Secretariat on its 53rd founding anniversary on August 8.

“For decades, Asean has fostered a more stable, prosperous, and peaceful region. Asean and Asean-led mechanisms are at the heart of the US vision for the Indo-Pacific and that of our allies and partners. The strategic partnership between the United States and Asean contributes to our shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific,” Pompeo said in a statement.

He said the US and Asean have partnered in numerous ways to battle the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

“The United States has pledged nearly $85 million in emergency health and humanitarian assistance to help Asean countries battle Covid-19 and we will continue to promote transparent economic growth between our countries during the post-pandemic recovery. The United States looks forward to many more years of partnership with Asean,” he concluded.

Asean is a regional grouping that promotes economic, political and security cooperation among its members: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Meanwhile, to commemorate Asean’s 53rd anniversary, the Department of Foreign Affairs will conduct a virtual flag raising event in Manila, which will be streamed via the DFA’s Facebook and YouTube account on Aug. 8, 2020 at 9 a.m.