New Delhi: The iconic, centuries-old Qutub Minar monument in New Delhi was illuminated in the colours of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on the evening of August 7, as the regional bloc’s 59th founding anniversary was observed in the Indian capital.
Founded by five nations on August 8, 1967, ASEAN is now a Community bringing together all 11 Southeast Asian nations: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Vietnam. With a combined population of over 700 million and a GDP of over USD 4 trillion, it would rank as the world’s fifth-largest economy if taken as a unit.
In the presence of over 80 diplomats from ASEAN Member States’ diplomatic missions and a large number of regular visitors to the site, the UNESCO World Heritage Site lit up with the iconic rice-stalk emblem of the Association, accentuated by the group’s signature blue, red, and yellow, as the ASEAN anthem solemnly played over the monument’s grounds.
The illumination of the Qutub Minar marked the first-ever projection of ASEAN’s cherished symbols onto a major national monument anywhere in the world.
The event was conceptualized and organized by the Philippine Embassy in India, which currently holds the ASEAN New Delhi Committee’s (ANDC) rotating semestral chairmanship.
“We are deeply honored by the unequivocal support of the Government of India for this historic project. It embodies the long friendship, civilizational linkages and now dynamic relationship between ASEAN and India, built on shared values and a mutual commitment to bringing peace and prosperity to our two societies,” said Philippine Ambassador Josel F. Ignacio.
ASEAN and India instituted sectoral dialogue relations in 1992. Three decades later, in 2022, the relationship was elevated to a thriving Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. Under their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, ASEAN and India cooperate on a wide range of issues, from trade and investment, tourism, connectivity, agriculture, energy, culture, technology and education to people-to-people exchanges.
BI Bureau
