On 8 September 2022, a debate “POLAND – ASEAN: an ambitious partnership in a changing world” took place in the Columned Hall of the Polish Sejm. It was organised on the initiative of the Polish Sejm with the participation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Polish Institute of International Affairs and the Faculty of Political Science and International Studies of the University of Warsaw.
The event promoting cooperation between Poland and the Southeast Asian region in the sectors of economy and education was organised on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of the establishment of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. The conference was attended by the Speaker of the Sejm, Elżbieta Witek, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Zbigniew Rau, the parliamentary representatives, the representatives of the Polish Institute of International Affairs, and the ambassadors of ASEAN countries represented in Poland: Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand. The event was also attended by, among others, the representatives of the government, the world of science and other experts. The business community was represented by Janusz Cieślak, the President of the European Business Club Poland.
The debate comprised of two panels:
- Economy: new perspectives for bilateral cooperation.
- Education: in search of effective and innovative cooperation.
In his speech, the President of the European Business Club Poland, Janusz Cieślak, thanked the organisers for the invitation and for the whole initiative and proposed the cyclical organisation of similar meetings.
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations is a political and economic organisation established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok, with the headquarters in Jakarta. The members of ASEAN are (in order of accession): the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand (founding countries), Brunei (since 1984), Vietnam (since 1995), Laos and Myanmar (since 1997), Cambodia (since 1999).
