Seminar on ASEAN integration elicits Swiss interest

Ambassador Baja with (L-R Ambassador Didier Chambovey, Indonesian Ambassador Linggawaty Hakim,  Laotian Ambassador Thonghane Savanphet, Malaysian Ambassador Dato' Mohd Zulkephli Bin Mohd Noor, Thai Ambassador Chalermpol Thanchitt and Vietnamese Ambassador Nguyen The Phiet)

A seminar on ASEAN integration was jointly organized by the ASEAN embassies in Switzerland and the School of Management and Law of the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) on 9 October in Winterthur.  The seminar, which was attended by around 150 participants from various sectors, aimed to raise awareness on the ASEAN Economic Community 2015 and the prospects for greater ties between ASEAN and Switzerland.

Ambassador Baja delivers his presentation on ASEAN economic integration

Philippine Ambassador to Switzerland, Leslie Baja, who is currently the ASEAN Coordinator, said that “ASEAN is thinking globally and the countries that comprise the region are preparing together to achieve economic integration in 2015 and beyond.” He said that ASEAN is one of the most integrated region in the world, citing achievements it has made in the last 47 years in the political, economic and socio-cultural sectors. 

The seminar is part of the Philippine Embassy’s efforts to promote awareness on ASEAN and the creation of an ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by 2015. Earlier, the Philippine Embassy also organized an ASEAN dinner with Swiss parliamentarians to help profile the region among Swiss legislators and develop advocates for ASEAN interests in Switzerland. Apart from engaging Swiss officials and the academe, a sporting event was also recently organized to foster camaraderie among the ASEAN embassies in Switzerland. END