MANILA, Philippines -- Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo on Thursday officially ended the 40th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Ministerial Meeting, the Post Ministerial Meetings, and the 14th ASEAN Regional Forum and turned over chairmanship of the regional bloc to Singapore.

At the closing ceremony, Romulo singled out the drafting of the ASEAN charter, calling it the highlight of the Philippines’ yearlong chairmanship of the 10-member bloc.

He listed the other accomplishments of the meeting to include the adoption of the document creating the ASEAN committee to implement the Declaration for the Protection and Promotion of Rights of Migrant Workers, and the guidelines for providing emergency assistance by ASEAN missions in third countries to ASEAN nationals in conflict situations.

He also welcomed Sri Lanka as the 27th member of the ARF.

In accepting the chairmanship, Singapore’s Foreign Minister George Yeo said he foresaw the “center of gravity of the world shift[ing] to Asia in this century.”

Thus, he said, ASEAN needs to work towards achieving economic integration.