Laos officially handed over the Asean chairmanship to Malaysia as a sign of the end of the 44th and 45th Asean summits during the meeting.
The closing ceremony symbolized the transfer of the leadership of the regional bloc and paved the way for Malaysia to lead the Asean region.
The Prime Minister of Laos, Sonexay Siphandone expressed his appreciation to the delegates for their cooperation and support throughout Laos' presidency before officially handing over the post.
When delivering his speech, Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim affirmed Malaysia's commitment to supporting Asean's core values and priorities while emphasizing that under Malaysia's leadership this regional bloc will continue to maintain Southeast Asia as a peaceful, stable and prosperous region.
He also said, Asean will remain firm in protecting Southeast Asia as a zone of peace, stability and common prosperity. The spirit of consensus will continue to be maintained among member countries and the year 2025 will be an important chapter for Asean with full meaning and potential.
The prime minister emphasized that 2025 will mark the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the ASEAN Community.
Malaysia will also spearhead the introduction of the Asean Community Vision 2045, which outlines the bloc's common direction for the next two decades.
The closing ceremony was attended by approximately 500 delegates from Asean member countries and partner countries.
