PRETORIA, 07 November 2022 — Philippine Ambassador to South Africa Noralyn Jubaira Baja joined the resident heads of missions of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam in briefing representatives of key government agencies in South Africa on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and discussing the intent to deepen relations between South Africa and ASEAN.
The inter-departmental meeting was convened by the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO) on 31 October 2022 in line with the country’s intent to become a sectoral dialogue partner of ASEAN.
The meeting was co-chaired by DIRCO Acting Deputy Director General for Asia and the Middle East Ntombizodwa M. Lallie, and Singaporean High Commissioner Zainal Arif Mantaha in the latter’s capacity as current Chair of the ASEAN-Pretoria Committee (APC).
Representing the ASEAN-Pretoria Committee (APC), High Commissioner Mantaha gave a comprehensive overview of the regional organization, with particular emphasis on the three pillars of ASEAN community-building efforts, namely, political-security, economic, and socio-cultural.
In her intervention, Ambassador Baja said that the Philippines welcomed South Africa’s intent to elevate its partnership with ASEAN as such development paves the way for the further convergence of both countries’ interests across a broad spectrum of sectors. She underscored that establishing a structured relationship between South Africa and ASEAN is the way to go since both sides have common challenges and shared aspirations such as the attainment of inclusive growth and sustainable development, transforming the youth as active partners for national development, among others.
The activity is aligned with the APC’s mandate of raising the profile of ASEAN in South Africa, as well as deepening the linkages between one of the African continent’s powerhouses and the Southeast Asian region.
Source: Republic of Philippines Department Of Foreign Affairs