WEB DESK: The ASEAN Secretariat held a press conference in Jakarta on July 30 to announce the results of the 57th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM-57) and related meetings.
The conference was participated by representatives of the missions of ASEAN countries, ASEAN partners, international organisations, and international and Indonesian press agencies.
ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn said that the AMM-57 and related meetings, including the ASEAN – US Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, ASEAN 3, East Asia Summit (EAS) and ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), held in Vientiane from July 24 to 27 achieved remarkable results.
The issues under consideration were those affecting the ASEAN integration, the building of the ASEAN Community, and the bloc’s cooperation in each community pillar.
Participants also spent a lot of time exchanging views and stances on international and regional issues of common concern, including those relating to the East Sea, Myanmar, the Middle East, the Korean Peninsula, and the Russia – Ukraine conflict.
The ministers discussed regional resilience and energy security, notably the promotion of the ASEAN Power Grid initiative, the formation of a network for electricity connection and renewable energy supply among member countries, as well as support for Timor Leste to join the association.
Kao emphasised that the AMM-57 and related meeting demonstrated the importance member countries attach to solidarity and trust as a prerequisite for ASEAN’s success, the promotion of the bloc’s relations with its partners, the expansion of cooperation in such areas as digital economy and green transition, and the enhancement of regional infrastructure, institutional, and people-to-people connectivity.
During the meetings, many documents and initiatives were stepped up such as the ASEAN-UK Joint Ministerial Statement, the ASEAN-India fund for digital future, and the EU-ASEAN Sustainable Connectivity Package.
He also announced that the ASEAN 3 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (with China, Japan and the Republic of Korea) reviewed and acknowledged the recent cooperation progress.
