PRESS RELEASE

Philippine Embassy, Canberra

1 Moonah Place, Yarralumla, ACT 2600
www.philembassy.org.au    *Tel. No. 02-6273-2535*

PH Ambassador Discusses Primacy of ASEAN and ASEAN-led Mechanisms in Student-Led Conference

H.E. Ma. Hellen B. De La Vega, Philippine Ambassador to Australia was a panellist at the UNSW ASEAN Conference 2021 on 02 October 2021. She was joined by Dr. Alexander Korolev of UNSW, Ms. Valerie Knobelsdorf of the US Consulate General in Sydney, Dr. Vannarith Chheang of ISEAS, and Prof. Zhai Kun of Peking University. The session was facilitated by Ms. Maryum Hussain of the ASEAN Society of UNSW.

05 October 2021 – H.E. Ma. Hellen B. De La Vega, Philippine Ambassador to Australia, joined the virtual UNSW ASEAN Conference 2021: Conflict and Cooperation as a panellist on 02 October 2021 to share her insights on the role of ASEAN in the region.

Ambassador De La Vega described ASEAN an honest broker within the strategic environment of competing interests. She said, “While the relations of two major powers, the US and China, will influence the future direction of our region, ASEAN and its relations with regional partners, including Australia, can be steadfast in protecting the principles of international law.”

She emphasized the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), signed in 1976, and the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific as the frameworks which guide ASEAN in its relations with its dialogue partners.

The UNSW ASEAN Conference is organized annually by the ASEAN Society of the University of New South Wales (UNSW). It is a student-led, youth-focused conference which last year reached over 2,400 people around the world. END