Vietnam takes over rotating chairmanship of ASEAN Committee in Washington

As ACW Chair in the last four months of the year, Vietnam will preside over a number of ASEAN joint activities to enhance and promote cooperation and understanding with the US in general.

Ambassador Nguyen Quoc Dung speaks at an event in Washington DC earlier this year. (Photo: Kieu Trang/VNA)

On August 29 (local time), in Washington DC, the US, Vietnam officially took over the rotating chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Committee in Washington (ACW) from Thailand.

The handover ceremony was attended by representatives of ASEAN member countries, marking a new phase in ASEAN's activities in the US.

As ACW Chair in the last four months of the year, Vietnam will preside over a number of joint activities of the bloc to enhance and promote cooperation and understanding with the US in general.

Speaking at the event, Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Nguyen Quoc Dung expressed his gratitude to the Ambassador and the Thai Embassy for their role in coordinating ASEAN activities over the past four months, and appreciated Thailand's organization of a number of outstanding activities, especially the ASEAN Day celebration (August 8).

Ambassador Nguyen Quoc Dung said he will strive to maintain ACW's momentum in the next four months and expand substantive connections with partners.

Regarding the upcoming action plan, Ambassador Nguyen Quoc Dung said that Vietnam has prepared a number of specific programs and will gradually share more detailed information when new updates are available.

September is expected to see activities to celebrate the National Day of Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, a series of activities at the United Nations General Assembly and welcome two new Ambassadors from Laos and Indonesia.

October is expected to see an event to celebrate Timor Leste's accession to ASEAN and an Artificial Intelligence (AI) program co-organized with the Malaysian Embassy.

In November, there is expected to be a meeting with Secretary of Transportation and Director of the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Sean Duffy.

December will see joint activities promoting the culture of all ASEAN countries in Washington.

Concluding his speech, Ambassador Nguyen Quoc Dung expressed his wish to continue receiving cooperation from ASEAN member countries during his term as ACW chairman.

The ACW Chairmanship handover ceremony ended after the handover of the gavel and ASEAN flag, and was followed by an exchange and connection with representatives of ASEAN embassies in Washington DC and local partners./.

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/viet-nam-tiep-nhan-vai-tro-chu-tich-luan-phien-uy-ban-asean-tai-washington-post1059002.vnp