TURKEY—Philippine Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey Raul S. Hernandez recently assumed the chairmanship of the Asean Ankara Committee-Heads of Missions (AAC-HOMs) for the second half of 2020 from the Republic of Indonesia’s Ambassador to Turkey Lalu Muhamad Iqbal, who completed his chairmanship of the AAC on June 30.
During a turnover ceremony at the Indonesian Embassy in Ankara, Hernandez congratulated Iqbal for successfully carrying out scheduled AAC activities in the first half of 2020, despite limitations arising from the pandemic.
The Filipino envoy expressed his gratitude to the eight resident AAC-HOMs comprised of fellow ambassadors and charge d’affaires who, in a meeting in April, unanimously agreed that Hernandez—the most senior diplomat of the group—is in the best-position to take over chairmanship of the AAC and carry out activities in the second half of the year, given the time needed for the next-in-line chairman, the incoming ambassador from the Kingdom of Cambodia, to prepare for the task.
The Philippine diplomat informed the HOMs of his plans to mount several activities during his tenure to further raise the profile of the regional bloc in Turkey, while mindful of the present and projected pandemic situation for the rest of the year. These include the Asean flag-raising ceremony, Asean Family Day, a visit to the newly opened Presidential Library for a book donation, an economic seminar in Turkey’s commercial center Istanbul, and a visit to one of the republic’s cities for political and economic engagements with local government officials.
The AAC was established in January 2009 with the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Kingdom of Thailand and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam as the first five members. Over the years, it has grown to include Cambodia, the Republic of Singapore and Brunei Darussalam.
The body has collectively worked to promote the bloc’s political and economic interests by forging sustainable partnerships with Turkish government agencies, local government units, business entities, nongovernment organizations and the academe. It has also endeavored to bring the concept of Asean to the consciousness of Turkish society by embarking on promotional events that showcase each Asean member-countries’ various cultures, arts and cuisines.
Recognition from SoKor
A FEW days prior, Hernandez, who was previously an ambassador of the Philippines to the Republic of Korea (South Korea), received in a simple ceremony on June 29 the Order of Diplomatic Service Merit (First Class) award, or the Gwanghwa Medal, from President Moon Jae-in through Ambassador to Turkey Choi Hong-ghi.
The citation read: “In recognition of and appreciation for his outstanding and meritorious services rendered toward the promotion of friendly relations between the Republic of Korea and the Republic of the Philippines, I hereby present, in accordance with the powers delegated to me by the Constitution of the Republic of Korea, the Order Of Diplomatic Service Merit, Gwanghwa Medal, to His Excellency Raul S. Hernandez [of the] Republic of the Philippines, [June 2, 2020. Signed:] Moon Jae-in, President of the Republic of Korea.”
As he thanked the Korean government for the honor accorded to him, Hernandez assured his continued support for the strengthening of Philippine-Korean relations. DFA
Image credits: Ankara PE/DFA