ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting | Ministers underscore importance of Asean unity to tackle challenges
Deputy PM Mr Saleumxay Kommasith.
.
,
Foreign ministers from the Asean member states have stressed the importance of strengthening Asean unity and centrality in its engagement with external partners through Asean-led mechanisms, according to a senior Lao government official.
A stronger and more unified bloc will build mutual trust and confidence as well as reinforce open, transparent, resilient, inclusive, and rules-based regional architecture with Asean at the centre.
Memento Maxima Digital MarketingSpeaking at a press conference following the Asean Foreign Ministers’ Retreat in Luang Prabang on Monday, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Saleumxay Kommasith, said the Asean-led mechanisms comprised Asean Plus One, Asean Plus Three, the East Asia Summit, and the Asean Regional Forum.
Concerning the situation in Myanmar, the ministers reaffirmed Asean’s commitment to assisting Myanmar in finding a peaceful and durable solution to the ongoing crisis, as Myanmar remains an integral part of Asean.
“We agreed that the Five-Point Consensus and the Asean Leaders’ Reviews and Decisions on the Implementation of the Five-Point Consensus adopted in 2022 and 2023 remain the main references in this regard,” Mr Saleumxay said.
“Ministers welcomed the appointment of Mr Alounkeo Kittikhoun, former Minister to Laos’ Prime Minister’s Office as the Special Envoy of the Asean Chair on Myanmar for 2024,” he added.
In addition, Asean foreign ministers exchanged views on regional and international issues of common interest and concern.
These include emerging traditional and non-traditional security challenges such as armed conflict, cyber security, natural disasters, climate change, maritime security and cooperation, and developments in various regions, including the Korean Peninsula, South China Sea, Ukraine, and the Middle East, among others.
Asean leaders supported Laos’ priorities for its Asean Chairmanship 2024 which are centred on two components, namely “Enhancing Connectivity” and “Enhancing Resilience”.
Under Enhancing Connectivity, there are four priorities, including (1) integrating and connecting economies, and (2) forging an inclusive and sustainable future. Under this priority area, leaders welcome Asean support in working towards the establishment of the Asean Power Grid. Other priorities are (3) transforming for the digital future, and (4) culture and the arts: promoting the role of Asean culture and the arts for inclusion and sustainability.
Under Enhancing Resilience, there are five priorities, namely (1) development of strategic plans to implement the Asean Community Vision 2045, (2) enhancing Asean centrality, (3) promoting environmental cooperation: climate change resilience, (4) women and children: promoting the role of women and children towards changes in behaviour in Asean, and (5) health: transforming Asean health development resilience in a new context.
The ministers were encouraged by Timor-Leste’s continuing commitment to the implementation of the Roadmap for Timor-Leste’s Full Membership in Asean, which was adopted at the 42nd Asean Summit.
“We reaffirmed our commitment to continue providing capacity building assistance to Timor-Leste, as well as to engage Asean’s Dialogue Partners and other external partners to support Timor-Leste,” stated a press statement by the chair of the Asean Foreign Ministers’ Retreat.
The AMM Retreat is the first meeting of Asean foreign ministers under Laos’ Asean Chairmanship 2024, which takes the theme “ASEAN: Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience”.
By Times Reporters
(Latest Update January 31, 2024)
@[email protected]
