The 23rd Summit of the Association of South-East Asian Nations, ASEAN, opened this morning in the capital of Brunei-Bandar Seri Bagawan- bringing together leaders from ten member states. The theme of the summit is 'Our People, Our Future Together'.
In his opening remarks, the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah said that the outlook for the ASEAN region remains promising. The Sultan called for the ASEAN countries to work together in areas like trade facilitation and logistics to promote business environment in the region. He acknowledged that the ASEAN members will face challenges in implementing their community roadmap. ASEAN nations should ensure the region's financial stability as well as being an effective and competitive destination for trade and investment, he added.