The High Commission of Malaysia handed over the Chairmanship of the ASEAN Dhaka Committee (ADC) to the Embassy of Indonesia on 31 January 2018. This is the second time Malaysia became the Chair of ADC since the ADC was established in 2014.
The High Commission of Malaysia held the Chair of ADC since July 2017 and led the ADC through series of events and activities notably the 50th ASEAN Anniversary celebration on 8 August 2017 held at the Royal Thai Embassy. Mr. Md. Shahriar Alam, Hon. State Minister for Foreign Affairs attended the celebration as Chief Guest. The ceremony began with the Flag Raising ceremony and the singing of 'ASEAN Way' then followed by speech from High Commissioner of Malaysia and Chair of ADC. the Hon State Minister then gave a speech and was presented with a memento by the Chair of ADC.
In his speech, State Minister Md. Shahriar Alam congratulated the governments and peoples of the ASEAN countries on this joyous occasion. He hailed the remarkable success achieved by ASEAN in the last 50 years. He also noted the contribution of ASEAN in facilitating extraordinary economic development, peace and prosperity in the region. The State Minister mentioned that Bangladesh shares a common agenda for peace, security and economic prosperity with the member countries of the ASEAN and wants to intensify political, trade, economic and cultural connectivity with ASEAN. Referring to Bangladesh’s interest to institutionalise relations with ASEAN, he sought ASEAN member countries’ support in favour of Bangladesh’s initiative to become a Sectoral Dialogue Partner of ASEAN.
The programme was followed by the ASEAN Food Festival showcasing the rich varieties of cuisines from the Member States based in Dhaka. The eight ASEAN Member States in Dhaka are Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam.
