Senior officials meet in Manila to prepare for ASEAN Summit
The ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) and the ASEAN Joint Consultative Meeting (JCM) took place in Manila, the Philippines from March 15-16 to discuss preparations for the 30th ASEAN Summit.
The 2016 ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) in Laos (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – The ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) and the ASEAN JointConsultative Meeting (JCM) took place in Manila, the Philippines from March15-16 to discuss preparations for the 30th ASEAN Summit.
DeputyMinister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Quoc Dung headed the Vietnamese delegationto the events.
Seniorofficials from the ten ASEAN member states reviewed programmes, agenda as wellas possible documents designed for the Summit, slated for April 26-29.
They also exchanged views on regional and global issues; and discussed theprogress in the ASEAN community building, relations with the bloc’s partnersand directions for cooperation.
Additionally,the officials exchanged views on the progress in building a Code of Conduct inthe East Sea (COC). They put more emphasis on the significance of maintaining aunited ASEAN and the central role of the bloc in this matter.
They agreedon fast-tracking the COC consultation with China and on the plan to concludethe COC framework before mid-2017.
Theyreaffirmed that ASEAN would act upon the 2002 Declaration on the Conduct ofParties in the East Sea (DOC) and foster trust-building and anti-dispute measures.
The seniorofficials together with senior economic officials discussed ways to reducedevelopment gap, strengthen connection and improve the efficiency ofcoordination between community’s pillars.-VNA
Recent meetings between senior officials of ASEAN and partner countries have reaped good results with discussions focusing on preparations for the upcoming formation of the ASEAN Community.
ASEAN-Malaysia National Secretariat Director-General Muhammad Shahrul Ikram Yaakob said on June 10 that the Association of the Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) believes a judicious mechanism could solve disputes in the East Sea.
Senior officials of the ASEAN nations, the bloc’s partners, and the East Asia Summit countries scrutinised the regional cooperation as well as security challenges in Luang Prabang, Laos, on May 6 - 7.
Agenda for the 49th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and related meetings have been completed, with focus on mapping out orientations for the growth of ASEAN cooperation with partners.
A Vietnamese delegation led by Deputy FM Nguyen Quoc Dung, head of Vietnam ASEAN SOM, attended ASEAN SOM in Boracay, the Philippines, to prepare contents for the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat.
The Republic of Korea (RoK), China and Japan agreed on May 3 to reinforce the regional financial safety net, along with members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), by launching a new financing facility programme meant to extend greater support in case of a financial crisis.
A technical issue combined with an extreme heatwave was blamed for a series of explosions at a military base that killed 20 soldiers and injured several others in Cambodia on April 27, the country’s Ministry of Defence said in a May 2 statement as reported by the Xinhua news agency.
The Customs Department of Thailand is scheduled to commence the collection of value-added tax (VAT) on imported goods sent via postal services, regardless of the goods value, starting in May.
A lecturer from Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine has warned Thais to be more vigilant against COVID-19, saying infection rates appeare to be worsening with higher hospital admissions, deaths and severe cases.
Malaysia should harness the collective expertise and resources to drive sustainable growth and development of the halal industry, according to Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Zafrul Abdul Aziz.
Laos has officially restored the 10% value-added tax (VAT) rate starting May 1, in a bid to support the country’s budget revenue and socio-economic development.
The ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) entered its second plenary session in Hanoi on the afternoon of April 23, discussing ways to ensure comprehensive security for the people-centred ASEAN Community.
The first session of the ASEAN Future Forum 2024 (AFF 2024) in Hanoi on April 23 focused on fast and sustainable growth for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The Canada-ASEAN Business Council (CABC) and the ASEAN Alliance on Carbon Markets (AACM) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to strengthen collaboration and accelerate the implementation of carbon crediting programmes across Southeast Asia.
ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn reaffirmed ASEAN leaders' commitment to empowering the youth to unleash their full potential when he had a dialogue with ASEAN youth in Hanoi on April 22 on the sidelines of the ASEAN Future Forum (AF 2024).
The Thai Government is being urged to increase the proportion of renewable power generation to more than the target of 50% set in the power development plan (PDP).
The Centre for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) of Indonesia on April 21 lifted its tsunami advisory issued previously following the eruption of Mount Ruang in Sitaro district of North Sulawesi province.
Thailand expects to export about 1 million tonnes of durian, valued at an estimated 130 billion THB (3.53 billion USD) this year, with most of the shipments to China, according to Minister of Agriculture Thammanat Prompao.
The 72nd meeting of the ASEAN Working Group on Intellectual Property Cooperation (AWGIPC) and related meetings are being held by the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Intellectual Property Office (IPO) of Vietnam in the central city of Da Nang on April 22-26.
Enhancing regional food security and tackling the pressing challenges of climate change will be key agendas defining Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025, Speaker of the Dewan Rakyat (lower house) Johari Abdul told the press on April 19.
The 2016 ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) in Laos (Photo: VNA) 
