The Qutub Minar in New Delhi was lit up in ASEAN colours to mark the 59th founding anniversary of the regional bloc. The event, a first of its kind on a global monument, was organized by the Philippine Embassy to celebrate ASEAN-India ties.
The iconic, centuries-old Qutub Minar monument in New Delhi was illuminated in the colours of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Friday evening, as the regional bloc’s 59th founding anniversary was observed in the Indian capital.
According to the Embassy of the Philippines in India, founded by five nations on August 8, 1967, ASEAN is a now Community bringing together all 11 Southeast Asian nations: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste and Vietnam. With a combined population of over 700 million and a GDP of USD over 4 trillion, it is would rank fifth largest economy in the world, taken as a unit.
A Historic Illumination
Before over 80 diplomats from ASEAN Member States’ diplomatic missions and a huge throng of the site’s regular visitors, the UNESCO world heritage site lit up with the iconic rice-stalk emblem of the Association, accentuated by the group’s signature blue, red, and yellow, as the ASEAN anthem solemnly played over the monument’s grounds.
The illumination of the Qutub Minar marked the first-ever such projection of ASEAN’s cherished symbols onto any major national monument around the world. The event was conceptualised and organised by the Philippine Embassy in India, which currently holds the ASEAN New Delhi Committee’s (ANDC) rotating semestral chairmanship, the Embassy stated.
Celebrating ASEAN-India Partnership
“We are deeply honoured by the unequivocal support of the Government of India for this historic project. It embodies the long friendship, civilizational linkages and now dynamic relationship between ASEAN and India, built on shared values and a mutual commitment to bringing peace and prosperity to our two societies,” said Philippine Ambassador Josel F. Ignacio.
ASEAN and India instituted sectoral dialogue relations in 1992. Three decades later, in 2022, the relationship was elevated to a thriving Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.
Under their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, ASEAN and India cooperate on a wide range of issues, including trade and investment, tourism, connectivity, agriculture, energy, culture, technology, education, and people-to-people exchanges, the Embassy affirmed.
Diplomats Mark Occasion on Social Media
Highlighting the event on X, the Embassy wrote, “The historic Qutub Minar was lit up in the colours of the ASEAN flag tonight to celebrate the 59th founding anniversary of the 11-member bloc on 08 August 2026.”
Additionally, Singapore’s High Commissioner to India, Simon Wong, on Friday also marked ASEAN Day by celebrating the first-ever illumination of the ASEAN flag on Delhi’s iconic Qutub Minar, highlighting the close partnership between ASEAN member states and India. Sharing pictures of the event on X, Wong wrote, “Very happy to celebrate #ASEAN Day with our ANDC Family in New Delhi with the first-ever @ASEAN flag illumination of the #QutubMinar. Many thanks to our Philippines Chair.” (ANI)
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