(VOVworld) - A ceremony to raise the ASEAN’s flag on the occasion of the bloc’s 49th founding anniversary was held in Pakistan on Monday.

Chairman of the ASEAN Islamabad Committee (AIC) Ambassador Nguyen Xuan Luu said the bloc - a community with a population of 600 million people, ranked seventh globally in GDP and third in workforce. Special Advisor to the Pakistani Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Syed Tarip Fatemi said Pakistan wishes to develop multifaceted relations with the bloc’s member nations, especially in trade. He added Pakistan hopes to early become a full dialogue partner with the bloc, a vital cooperation mechanism in the region.