ASEAN on Friday welcomed its 7th Permanent Representative from Brunei Darussalam, a statement from the ASEAN Secretary said here.

Pengiran Hajjah Basmillah Haji Abbas presented her letter of credentials to Secretary-General Dr Surin Pitsuwan on Friday.

"Ambassador Basmillah has an extensive history in overseeing regional issues. Her expertise will certainly contribute a great deal in our efforts to build the ASEAN Community," said Surin.

Under the ASEAN Charter, each ASEAN Member State shall appoint a Permanent Representative with the rank of ambassador based in Jakarta.

The Permanent Representatives to ASEAN collectively constitutes a Committee of Permanent Representatives. The Committee of Permanent Representatives will play the important role of, among others, coordinating with ASEAN National Secretariats and other ASEAN Sectoral Ministerial Bodies.

Previously, the Permanent Representatives from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore and Viet Nam had presented their credentials, and will soon be followed by Malaysia.

Source: Xinhua