The rotating chairmanship of ASEAN was handed over from Indonesia to Laos on Thursday. At the closing ceremony of the ASEAN Summit held in Jakarta, Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo handed over the president’s symbol to Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone. After handing over the duties, President Widodo said that for peace and prosperity in the ASEAN region and to make the world a better place, cooperation must be developed and strengthened.
Lao Prime Minister Siphandone also promised to continue to achieve the successes achieved when Indonesia took over the chairmanship and to make the ASEAN community stronger as a priority. The Prime Minister of Laos said in his acceptance speech that the geopolitical and geoeconomic challenges will be resolved. Laos will officially start serving as the rotating chairman of ASEAN in 2024.
Officials confirmed on Tuesday that Myanmar will take over the rotating chairmanship in 2026, so the Philippines will take over the ASEAN rotating chairmanship instead of Myanmar. The matter of the Myanmar Military Council’s non-cooperation in ASEAN agreements for peace in Myanmar. The matter of China expanding its power in the South China Sea, The issue of North Korea selling weapons to Russia dominated the ASEAN summit this time.
Image Source: asean.org
