The 10 ASEAN member states have unanimously agreed to Indonesia`s
request for a swap of the ASEAN chairmanship with Brunei Darussalam for
the year 2011, according to the ASEAN Secretariat release issued on
Tuesday in Jakarta. In principle, Brunei would have taken over the
ASEAN chairmanship from Vietnam in 2011 and Indonesia from Cambodia in
2013. Indonesia asked for the swap because its scheduled ASEAN
chairmanship in 2013 coincided with its hosting the APEC (Asia Pacific
Economic Cooperation) meetings.
The 10 ASEAN member states have unanimously agreed to Indonesia`s request for a swap of the ASEAN chairmanship with Brunei Darussalam for the year 2011, according to the ASEAN Secretariat release issued on Tuesday in Jakarta. In principle, Brunei would have taken over the ASEAN chairmanship from Vietnam in 2011 and Indonesia from Cambodia in 2013. Indonesia asked for the swap because its scheduled ASEAN chairmanship in 2013 coincided with its hosting the APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) meetings.
Brunei and the other eight member-states agreed to Indonesia's request. The decision was reached during the recently-concluded 16th ASEAN Summit in Ha Noi 8-11 April 2010.
The decision changed the alphabetical annual rotation of ASEAN chairmanship. The ASEAN Charter provides that the chairmanship rotate annually based on the alphabetical order of the English names of the member-states.
A member-state assuming the chairmanship shall chair the ASEAN Summit and related summits, the ASEAN Coordinating Council, the three ASEAN Community Councils, relevant ASEAN Sectoral Ministerial Bodies and senior officials, and the Committee of Permanent Representatives
"We endorsed the exchange between Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam in their turns for the ASEAN chairmanship and welcomed Indonesia as the ASEAN chair in 2011," said the ASEAN leaders in a joint statement issued following the Summit.
"In this regard, we affirmed that such exchange shall not create precedence in the future," they continued.
The exchange will not affect Cambodia's assumption of ASEAN Chairmanship either. Cambodia will assume the Chairmanship in 2012.
