Myanmar Takes Over Chairmanship of ASEAN Committee in Vienna
Myanmar has assumed the chairmanship of the ASEAN Committee in Vienna (ACV). Ambassador Min Thein of Myanmar has pledged to continue ongoing initiatives and further strengthen the unity and commitment of the diplomatic missions of the ASEAN countries in Vienna. The handover took place during the 63rd meeting of the committee, which was chaired by Laos' chargé d'affaires in Austria, Viengxay Thammavong.
The ACV consists of the diplomatic missions of the eight ASEAN countries in Vienna: Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Brunei and Cambodia are not represented by their own embassies in Vienna. / Picture: © Wikimedia Commons; Gunawan Kartapranata, CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en)
The meeting was attended by representatives of all eight ASEAN member states with diplomatic missions in Vienna: Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Brunei and Cambodia are not represented by their own embassies in Vienna. The ACV serves to represent ASEAN's common position in bilateral and multilateral contexts in Vienna and to raise ASEAN's profile among international organizations based in Vienna, such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
With Myanmar taking over the chairmanship, the ASEAN Committee in Vienna will continue its work to represent the regional interests of the Southeast Asian community on the international stage and strengthen cooperation among its members. During the meeting, the member states reviewed the cooperation activities of the first half of 2025, as reported by the Vietnam News Agency. Laos was praised for its efforts and new initiatives aimed at promoting cultural cooperation, raising the profile of ASEAN in Austria, and deepening engagement with international organizations in Vienna.
A key point of discussion was the importance of maintaining a common ASEAN voice in multilateral forums. This is particularly true in areas of common interest such as sustainable development, technology, climate protection, and energy security. Participants also exchanged views on bilateral cooperation with Austria and learned about the candidacies of ASEAN member states for international organizations shortly.
Ambassador Vu Le Thai Hoang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the United Nations and other international organizations in Vienna, highlighted Vietnam's important multilateral activities in the first half of 2025. These included the 2nd ASEAN Future Forum, which took place in Hanoi at the end of February, and the “Partnering for Green Growth and the Global Goals 2030 (P4G)” summit in April. He also announced important upcoming events in Vietnam for the second half of the year, including the signing ceremony of the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime, which will take place in Hanoi from October 25 to 26. This event marks an important milestone in Vietnam's efforts to improve global cooperation in the fight against cybercrime.