Seminar Titled "ASEAN Ambassadors Seminar Series – Singapore" Held at ASBÜ

The seminar titled “ASEAN Ambassadors Seminar Series – Singapore / Perspectives on ASEAN,” organized in collaboration with the Ankara Social Sciences University (ASBÜ) ASEAN Application and Research Center and the Institute of Area Studies, was held on April 14, 2026. The event took place at the Sezai Karakoç Hall.

​Delivering the opening speech of the seminar, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Hatice Çelik, Director of the ASEAN Application and Research Center, expressed her gratitude for the support provided by the Embassy of Singapore and Her Excellency Kok Li Peng, Ambassador of the Republic of Singapore to Türkiye, to the ASEAN Center since its establishment.

​Taking the floor first at the seminar, Her Excellency Kok Li Peng, Ambassador of the Republic of Singapore to Türkiye, touched upon the historical development of ASEAN in her speech and emphasized the organization's significance regarding regional stability, economic cooperation, and multilateral diplomacy.

​Ms. Hoang Thi Ha, Senior Fellow and Co-coordinator of the Regional Strategic and Political Studies Programme at the ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, addressed the increasing role of middle powers in the face of developments such as the erosion of the rules-based order in the international system, the resurgence of great power competition, and the weakening of multilateral institutions in her presentation titled “Middle Power Agency in a Dis-ordering World: The Imperative for Türkiye–Southeast Asia Enhanced Partnership.” Emphasizing that Türkiye and Southeast Asian countries have similar structural conditions, Ha stated that both sides adopt a foreign policy approach that acknowledges multipolarity, avoids remaining tied to a single power bloc, and views multifaceted engagement as a strategic necessity. Drawing attention to ASEAN's capacity as an inclusive platform to keep great powers together and Türkiye's role in mediation and bridge-building, Ha noted that middle powers play an active role in shaping a new order based on diplomacy, dialogue, and multilateralism.

​In her speech titled “Order From Below: How Middle Powers Rewriting the Rules of Regional Order,” Assist. Prof. Dr. Vuslat Nur Şahin Temel, Deputy Director of the ASEAN Application and Research Center, emphasized that in a period where the rules-based international order is undergoing a transformation, middle powers are not merely actors adapting to the emerging new order, but they also assume a foundational role in the creation of this new order.

​The event concluded with questions and evaluations from the participants. The seminar, which was conducted in English, was attended by the university's academic staff and students.