Ambassador Kira Azucena led the Philippine Embassy in marking the 57th ASEAN Day at a reception yesterday jointly hosted along with the embassies of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam in Wellington.

The Philippine Embassy’s offering of the well-loved Filipino delicacies kilawin, chicken empanada, chicken barbecue and turon with salabat was among the first to sell out among the other ASEAN dishes by the guests that included members of the diplomatic corps, New Zealand government officials, New Zealand members of Parliament and civil society organizations representatives.

At the official ceremony that opened the reception, Thai Ambassador Wararvuth Pouapinya, in his capacity as Chair of the ASEAN Committee in Wellington, noted the renewed focus that New Zealand is placing on ASEAN and Southeast Asia, as demonstrated by the visits of Prime Minister Christopher Luxon to Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines last April and his scheduled visit to Malaysia in September. NZ’s Deputy Secretary of Foreign Affairs and Trade Deborah Geels likewise affirmed NZ’s desire to upgrade its relationship with ASEAN to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership by 2025, the year that will mark the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-NZ Dialogue Partner relations.