President Jokowi: Indonesia Welcomes ASEAN Family
(From left to right) Prime Minister of tCook Islands Mark Brown, President of Bangladesh Mohammed Shahabuddin, President of the Philippines Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr, Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong, Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Thailand Sarun Charoensuwan, Prime Minister of Vietnam Pham Minh Chinh, President Joko Widodo, Prime Minister of Laos Sonexay Siphandone, Sultan of Brunei Darussalam Hassanal Bolkiah, Prime Minister of Cambodia Hun Manet, Prime Minister of Malaysia Anwar Ibrahim, and Prime Minister of Timor Leste Xanana Gusmao during the Opening Ceremony of the 43rd ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Jakarta, Tuesday (09/05). (Photo by: Media Center of the 43rd ASEAN Summit /Akbar Nugroho Gumay/foc)
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo Tuesday (09/05) officially opened the 43rd ASEAN Summit and Related Summits at the Plenary Hall of the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) in Jakarta.
On that occasion, the President welcomed the leaders of ASEAN member states and other invited guests.
“Welcome to Jakarta, welcome to the 43rd ASEAN Summit. The people of Indonesia and I gladly and proudly welcome the ASEAN family,” he said.
President Jokowi expressed his belief that Indonesia and the entire ASEAN family share the same pride and affection for ASEAN.
“I believe that not only Indonesia but all ASEAN member countries share the same sense of pride and love for the family so-called ASEAN,” he remarked.
For the record, the opening ceremony of the 43rd ASEAN Summit and Related Summits began with the welcoming of ASEAN leaders and leaders of guest countries by President Jokowi and First Lady Ibu Iriana Jokowi.
The leaders and their respective delegations then entered the Plenary Hall where the meeting was held.
At the hall, the Indonesian choir Gitabumi Voices accompanied by Purwa Caraka orchestra sang the official ASEAN anthem “The ASEAN Ways”. The song is composed by several musicians namely Kittikhun Sodprasert, Sampow Triudom, and Payom Valaiphatchra.
Afterward, Aemove Dancer group performed a dance representing ASEAN unity and followed by a song “Epicentrum of Growth” sung by Gitabumi Voices.
President Jokowi then delivered his opening remarks to kick off the 43rd ASEAN Summit and Related Summits.
After the opening remarks by the President, ASEAN leaders, along with the President of Bangladesh as Chair of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and Prime Minister of Cook Islands as Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), took a group photo with the traditional ASEAN “ASEAN-way” handshake pose.
During the opening ceremony, President Jokowi, accompanied by ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn, also handed over the 2022 ASEAN Prize to Nguyen Thi Tuyet Minh from Vietnam and the 2023 ASEAN Prize to Muhammad Iqbal Fakhri bin Haji Damit from Brunei Darussalam.
On this event, President Jokowi, accompanied by the ASEAN Secretary-General and Minister of Environment and Forestry of Indonesia Siti Nurbaya Bakar, also launched the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control. (TGH/UN) (AP/MMB)
