The flag of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) was raised for the first time together with the national flag
of Indonesia during a
ceremony conducted at the Embassy of the Republic
of Indonesia in Berlin on 08 August 2011 to commemorate the
44th anniversary of ASEAN. As of this day, the ASEAN flag will be
permanently hoisted together with the national flag of Indonesia. The two banners will
also be raised at the Residence of the Ambassador. The ceremony was conducted
amidst participation by the entire Embassy staff, the Dharma Wanita
(association of the wives of the Indonesian civil servants), students and
members of the Indonesian community in Berlin.
The same ceremony was conducted simultaneously at nine other missions of ASEAN
member states in Berlin.
Dr. Eddy Pratomo, Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia
to the Federal Republic of Germany, stated in his speech that the joint raising
of the ASEAN flag and the national flags of respective member countries was
agreed upon by ASEAN foreign ministers during the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’
Meeting Retreat at Lombok from 16-17 January
2011. During that meeting, the foreign ministers of the ten ASEAN countries
agreed that the ASEAN flag and the respective national flags be hoisted
together starting on the anniversary of ASEAN on 08 August 2011.
In a broader sense, Ambassador
Pratomo continued, this decision demonstrates the resolve of ASEAN to further
enhance the identity of ASEAN and to strengthen the notion of togetherness
among the citizens of the member countries.
It also serves as a precursor for the forthcoming creation of the ASEAN
Community in 2015.
Using the same opportunity,
Ambassador Pratomo elaborated on the promotional activities conducted by the
Indonesian Embassy in Berlin
in recent times both within the frameworks of the Berlin ASEAN Committee (BAC)
and on its own account. Among the most prominent of these activities was first
the meeting of ASEAN ambassadors with the President of the Federal Republic of
Germany, Christian Wulff, in February of this year. The joint presentation by
the Ambassador of Indonesia in Germany
and the German Ambassador in Jakarta on the
economic potentials of ASEAN in June during the seminar “Eastern Westphalia
Meets ASEAN” held at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Eastern Westphalia
in Bielefeld
followed. The seminar raises hope to stimulate cooperation especially with
small and intermediate enterprises in the jurisdiction of CCI Eastern
Westphalia and to promote one of the objectives of the Indonesian chairmanship
of ASEAN which is to advance the small and intermediate enterprises of ASEAN
members.
In the same context, the Indonesian
Ambassador said that the Indonesian Embassy will conduct several events in the
coming months to promote ASEAN to other stake holders, including
Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, and the Humboldt University.
The Indonesian chairmanship of ASEAN
will support the member states to uphold their commitments towards the creation
of the ASEAN Community in 2015. To underline this, the Indonesian Ambassador
said the leitmotif of the Indonesian chairmanship of ASEAN is “ASEAN Community
in the Global Community of Nations”. To realize this objective, the ASEAN
member states must work closer together to face a number of regional and international
challenges. In this vein, the Indonesian chairmanship this year will focus its
attention on supporting the ASEAN efforts to enhance cooperation with regional
and international organizations such as the United Nations and the European
Union. Moreover, it will develop the ASEAN vision facing a number of global
issues of common interest to ASEAN to enable it to device a more coordinated,
defined and cohesive position.
In Asia, Indonesia will strive to increase
the capacity of ASEAN in facing geopolitical developments in the region. ASEAN
will assume a leading role in creating a regional order in which no country or
power will be dominant and the countries will be related to each other in
mutual benefit and respect. With the securing of peace and stability in the
region, each ASEAN countries can concentrate on their own nation building
efforts and economic development. The Indonesian Ambassador added that the
stable, safe and peaceful environment will greatly contribute to the
advancement of the national development of Indonesia.
Concluding his address, the
Indonesian Ambassador expressed his hope that the raising of the ASEAN flag
together with the respective national flags of member countries will strengthen
the common ASEAN credo “One Vision, One Identity, One Community” in the
consciousness of every citizens of ASEAN.
Berlin, 08 August 2011