Inclusivity, sustainability at forefront of ASEAN chairmanship: Malaysia

Kuala Lumpur(The Uttam Hindu): Malaysia will place inclusivity and sustainability at the forefront of its chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2025, a Malaysian official said.

Malaysia will also continue upholding the values that have led to the regional bloc's success in facing various challenges, namely neutrality, dialogue, and regional cooperation, which have kept the region stable, Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said in his speech at an event on Tuesday promoting Malaysia's logo and theme for its chairmanship of ASEAN in 2025, reports Xinhua news agency.

"I have always believed that, as a community, we have not only withstood but prevailed over many of our shared obstacles together through the decades. We have achieved this the ASEAN way," he said. "ASEAN's nuanced and pragmatic approach to managing geopolitical competition between major powers is increasingly seen as a model for the rest of the developing world," he added.

Malaysia will also continue to push for greater commitment to enhance ASEAN intra-trade and investment while ensuring that ASEAN is able to leverage advances in sciences, technology and innovation and harness the benefits of digital transformation and new technologies, he said. With the theme of its chairmanship being "Inclusivity and Sustainability", Mohamad said ASEAN is moving to realize ASEAN Community Vision 2045 aimed at charting its strategic direction for the next 20 years.

The logo itself is built around Malaysia's national flower, the hibiscus, which is also found in other ASEAN states, symbolizing the cultural richness, unity and identity of the region. The colours used in the logo (blue, red, yellow and white) represent the main colours of the flags of all ASEAN member states, with the ASEAN logo in the flower's centre representing the principle of ASEAN centrality.

The logo and the theme "Inclusivity and Sustainability" were officially unveiled by Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during the closing ceremony of the 44th and 45th ASEAN summits and related summits on October 11 in Vientiane, capital of Laos, where Malaysia accepted the ASEAN chairmanship from Laos. Malaysia will officially assume the chair of ASEAN on January 1, 2025. Founded in 1967, ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.