Anwar said it was an honour to oversee the transition and to ceremonially hand over the chairmanship to the Philippines, which will officially assume the role on Jan 1, 2026.

“It has been a privilege to host Asean leaders here for intense and illuminating exchanges,” Anwar said at the closing ceremony of the 47th Asean Summit and Related Summits here.

“I thank all member states, our dialogue partners, and the Asean Secretariat for their perseverance, patience and cooperation.”

At the ceremony held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Marcos also unveiled the official logo and theme, “Navigating Our Future Together”, for the Philippines’s Asean chairmanship.

He hailed Malaysia’s chairmanship, saying it had steered the bloc with clarity and conviction.

“You have shown us that Asean makes the greatest strides when vision is matched with pragmatism. As your chairmanship concludes, the Philippines is honoured to take on the responsibility of leading Asean in 2026,” he said.

Marcos said the Philippines would continue to fortify Asean’s peace and security anchors while strengthening prosperity corridors and advancing the people’s empowerment.

He pointed out that the island nation’s chairmanship would coincide with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC).

Signed in 1976, the TAC serves as Asean’s core peace and friendship pact, committing members and partners to the principles of non-interference, mutual respect and the peaceful settlement of disputes.

There are currently 58 signatories to the TAC, with Finland being the most recent after signing it last Saturday, prior to the 47th Asean Summit and Related Summits.