MANILA: Datuk Seri Najib Razak has arrived here this evening to attend the 30th Asean Leaders Summit and related meetings from April 28 to 29.
The Prime Minister is accompanied by Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, Foreign Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman, International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan, and ministry officials.
They were welcomed on arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport by Jesus F. Dureza, advisor to the President on the Peace Process, Philippine Ambassador-designate to Malaysia Charles Jose, and Malaysian Ambassador to the Philippines Datuk Raszlan Abdul Rashid.
Under the theme “Partnering for Change, Engaging the World”, this year’s Asean meetings coincide with the 50th anniversary of the regional grouping, and are likely to focus on closer cooperation and greater reforms to accelerate economic integration in the region.
In a posting on his official blog www.najibrazak.com earlier today, the prime minister said since its inception, Asean member countries have grown rapidly and come a long way, not only in terms of individual achievements but also as a region, to the extent that Asean is considered one of the most successful regional groupings in the world.
“Besides the harmonious and good relations between countries in the region, we can also be proud of the Asean region’s economic growth, where gross domestic product or GDP per capita has increased significantly by 76 per cent between 2010 and 2016,” Najib said.
Asean members are Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.