In celebration of the 52nd anniversary of the ASEAN, top diplomats, business leaders and decision makers in the UAE community gathered for the ASEAN Cultural Night that took place at the Dusit Thani Dubai last September 18.
In attendance were Indonesia Consul General Ridwan Hassan, Malaysia Consul General Mohd Hasril Abdul Hamid, Philippine Consul General Paul Raymund Cortes, Singapore Consul General Low Pit Chen, and Thailand Consul General Chairat Sirivat.
The celebration saw performances from different cultures as well as fashion shows from Dubai’s top designers in an evening event organized by the Consulate of Thailand and co-hosted by the Consulates of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Singapore.
ConGen Cortes shared that the ASEAN’s diversity on its political, economic and cultural aspects may pose challenges, but more than that – it’s where the ASEAN strength is found. “Our diversity provides various opportunities for foreign investors planning to do business in the region. The region has tremendous growth potential as ASEAN becomes a more integrated market of more than 650 million people. We hope to create a greater awareness of the people of ASEAN from among the also diverse and multi-cultural UAE community in the hopes for a strengthened partnership between ASEAN and the rest of the world,” said Cortes.
With 2019 recognized as the ASEAN Cultural Year, the event promoted not just appreciation for the differences in culture but more importantly, respect and tolerance for the diversity found between the neighboring countries.
