By Manal Abdel Fattah
The Philippine Embassy in Cairo organized a breakfast party at the Diplomatic Club of the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the ambassadors of the Association of ASEAN Countries in Cairo.
The Philippine Ambassador to Cairo, Ezz El-Din Tagoo, welcomed the attendees and ambassadors to the first iftar parties organized by the embassies of Southeast Asian countries (ASEAN) in Egypt.
For his part, Indonesia’s Ambassador to Cairo, Lotfi Raouf, said: Indonesia will assume the presidency of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2023, and Indonesia’s presidency carries the theme “ASEAN Matters: Center of Tremendous Growth.”
The breakfast ceremony was attended by ambassadors from Vietnam, Qatar, Singapore, Turkey, Cambodia, Indonesia, Pakistan, Brunei, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Panama, and Myanmar.
The Deputy Ambassador of Saudi Arabia, the Deputy Ambassador of Singapore, the Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of Malaysia, the Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of Thailand, and the Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of Tajikistan also attended.
Also present were former Foreign Minister Mohamed El-Orabi, Ambassador Hazem El-Tahry, Deputy Assistant Foreign Minister for ASEAN Affairs, Head of Egyptian Radio Mohamed Nawar, Taghreed Hussein, Head of Nile International Channel, Dr. Nahla Al-Saidi, Ambassador Ali Al-Hafny, Ambassador Dina Al-Sahi, Representative Hazem Omar, Dr. Marian Azar.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a political and economic organization, the seventh largest economy in the world. It was formed in 1967 in Bangkok with the aim of member states cooperating in the economic, social, cultural, technical and educational fields, and to promote regional peace and stability in the region.
The association was first formed by 5 countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, and later joined by the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Cambodia, Brunei Darussalam, Myanmar, and Vietnam. It aims to accelerate the growth of member states, avoid armed conflicts, and establish a free trade zone.
