AMBASSADOR ORTEGA MEETS WITH ASEAN BRUSSELS COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN

15 June 2006, Brussels—Immediately following her call on the Belgian Chief of Protocol, Philippine Ambassador-designate to The Kingdom of Belgium, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg and Representative to the European Communities  Cristina G. Ortega jumpstarts a series of calls on her ASEAN counterparts by meeting with Vietnamese Ambassador and current Chairperson of the ASEAN Brussels committee Madame Phan Thuy Thanh.

Ambassador Thanh provided Ambassador Ortega with a gracious welcome and expressed satisfaction in noting that the arrival of Ambassador Ortega completes the full representation of the ten members of ASEAN in Brussels, citing the recent arrivals of the Ambassador of Brunei and the Mission of Myanmar in Brussels.   On a side note, she mentioned that there are now three lady ASEAN Ambassadors in Brussels, the other one being Cambodia.

The meeting became an opportune time to discuss the forthcoming Philippine Chairmanship of the ASEAN Brussels Committee (ABC) that will start in July 2006.   Ambassador Thanh briefed Ambassador Ortega on the workings of the ASEAN Committee in Brussels and discussed future plans for the association in terms of improving relationships between themselves and with their institutional counterparts.  Ambassador Ortega looked forward to the Philippine hosting and expressed the hope that the Philippine term will further expand the agenda of ASEAN in Brussels. The Philippine Chairmanship of the ABC coincides with the Philippine chairmanship of the ASEAN Standing Committee from 2006-2007.

The Philippine hosting is long overdue and did not happen for the last five years, the last being in January to June 2001 with the then Ambassador Clemencio F. Montesa.

Both Ambassadors exchanged notes on the current state of their respective countries' relations with Belgium, Luxembourg and more especially with the European Union. Both shared thoughts on how best they could promote better and deeper cooperation between the parties involved.

As a final note, Ambassador Thanh thanked Ambassador Ortega for the courtesy call and said that she is looking forward to a fruitful working relationship with Ambassador Ortega.   For her part, Ambassador Ortega acknowledged the appreciation and expressed the hope that the Philippines and Vietnam will be able to engage in mutually beneficial collaborative efforts in the future. END

/epa