On 20 January 2012, a ceremony to celebrate the auspicious occasion of the 35th Anniversary of the ASEAN-Canada relations was held at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, Indonesia. This was a joint initiative between the ASEAN Secretariat, the Embassy of Canada in Jakarta and the Permanent Mission of the Kingdom of Thailand to ASEAN, given that Thailand is the country coordinator for the ASEAN-Canada dialogue for the period from 2009-2012.
The anniversary logo (picture above), designed by Ms. Chonnikanta Yoojai, a 19-year-old student at Dusit Commercial College, Bangkok, was also formally launched at the ceremony by Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, Secretary-General of ASEAN, Mr. Mackenzie Clugston, Ambassador of Canada to ASEAN, and Mr. Manasvi Srisodapol, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Thailand to ASEAN. The winning logo was selected out of over 100 designs submitted by youths aged between 16 and 21 years ASEAN-wide. Ms. Chonnikanta was awarded with a commemorative plaque and a BlackBerry Bold 9900. According to Ms. Chonnikanta, the colors used in the winning logo were those used for the symbols of ASEAN and Canada, symbolizing the peace of the world and collective security (blue), courage and progress (red), purity (white) and prosperity (yellow). The logo would also be used at a number of related activities and events, as well as on anniversary promotional materials and souvenirs.
Themed “35 Years of Partnership and Friendship”, the Anniversary this year would be filled with a series of events throughout the year. The consolidated list of activities to commemorate the 35th Anniversary of the ASEAN-Canada Relations in 2012 includes exchanges of high-level visits, conferences, track II initiatives, scholarships for language training and the anniversary logo competition. The Anniversary would also be highlighted at other forthcoming landmark events this year, namely the official visit to Thailand by the Canadian Prime Minister scheduled from 27-29 March 2012, the visit to Canada by the ASEAN Secretary-General tentatively scheduled during mid-May 2012 and the 9th ASEAN-Canada Dialogue meeting as well as an in-parallel track II workshop scheduled from 7-8 June 2012 in Bangkok.
To date, ASEAN and Canada have developed their relations in all aspects, from political and security to economic and socio-cultural areas of cooperation, since Canada formally became a Dialogue Partner of ASEAN in 1977. In recent years of Thailand’s coordinatorship, Canada had reinvigorated her engagement in the region with notable developments, including Canada’s accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) in July 2009 in Hanoi and subsequently the Third Protocol in July 2010 in Bali, the adoption of the Plan of Action (POA) to Implement the Joint Declaration on the ASEAN-Canada Enhanced Partnership (2010-2011), also in July 2009 in Hanoi, and the adoption of the Joint Declaration on Trade and Investment in October 2011 in Jakarta. The 35th Anniversary in 2012 is expected to raise profiles of ASEAN-Canada relations, while strengthening their long-standing partnership and friendship.
For further information, please contact the Press Division, Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tel.02-6435170, Fax.02-6435169, E-mail: div0704@mfa.go.th