ASEAN senior officials met in Manila, the Philippines, on May 22 to discuss measures to realise outcomes of the 30th ASEAN Summit in April and prepare for the 50th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting.
Manila (VNA) – ASEANsenior officials met in Manila, the Philippines on May 22 to discuss measuresto realise outcomes of the 30th ASEAN Summit in April and preparefor the 50th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting scheduled for August in thePhilippines.
Deputy Foreign Minister NguyenQuoc Dung, head of the Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) ASEAN Vietnam, attendedthe meetings.
Participants agreed on specificmeasures to effectively take actions in the ASEAN Community Blueprints 2025,including pooling the full and effective involvement of specialised agencies.
They underscored the need tostrengthen apparatus and streamline operations to effectively fulfill suchgoals. They discussed preparations for the 50th founding anniversaryof ASEAN, and considered external countries’ proposals to join the Treaty ofAmity and Cooperation (TAC) and agenda for the meeting of the Southeast AsianNuclear-Weapon-Free Zone Treaty Executive Committee’s Working Group.
In external relations, countriesreaffirmed determination to strengthen ties with partners on the basis ofrespect to basic principles of ASEAN and uphold the ASEAN Community’s centralrole.
They reviewed specific cooperationactivities with dialogue partners including China, the US, Russia, India, theRepublic of Korea, Australia, Canada and the EU, based on guidelines of the 29th ASEAN Summit and related meetings in September 2016, as well as agreed on basicorientations in the implementation of the Working Plan on improving ASEAN’scentral role.
On the East Sea issue, theylooked into measures to realise outcomes of the ASEAN-China Consultation on theDeclaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea and a Code of Conduct inthe East Sea.
The ASEAN SOM with partnerswithin the framework of the ASEAN 3, the East Asia Summit, the ASEAN RegionalForum and the Lower Mekong Initiative are slated for May 23-24.-VNA
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.
ASEAN senior officials convened a meeting in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines, to review preparations for the 30th ASEAN Summit slated for April 29.
The 14th Senior Officials’ Meeting on the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) will take place in Guiyang city, the Chinese province of Guizhou on May 18.
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Featuring a permanent exhibition area, the ASEAN Hall will function both as a cultural showcase and as a dynamic venue for ASEAN-related events and programmes. Its inauguration on ASEAN Day added symbolic weight, marking a fresh milestone in ASEAN–RoK relations.
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Indonesian Ambassador Rina P. Soemarno, who currently serves as Chair of the ASEAN Committee in Prague, emphasised the spirit of regional solidarity and cooperation, and the importance of enhancing ASEAN–Czech Republic relations.
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Finance Minister Pichai Chunhavajira has outlined a six-point strategy to promote innovation, support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and push for Thailand's removal from the US Trade Representative (USTR)’s special 301 Watch List regarding intellectual property rights protection among trading partners.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Israel Ly Duc Trung emphasised ASEAN’s central role in regional mechanisms such as the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) and the East Asia Summit (EAS), highlighting its significant contribution to promoting peace, stability, and prosperity in Southeast Asia.
The consumer index of the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce (UTCC), fell to 51.7 in July from 52.7 in the previous month. The sluggish economy and the trade war, as well as high living costs, continue to undermine confidence, the university said.
Deputy Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly Istvan Jakab expressed his hope for further deepening Hungary’s ties with ASEAN countries and called for their support for Hungary’s accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.
The 30-storey tower crumbled seconds after a 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit neighbouring Myanmar on March 28. The partially built high-rise, meant to house the State Audit Office (SAO), was the only building in Thailand to collapse, killing 89 people on the site, mostly construction workers.
Indonesia’s waste generation is projected to exceed 50 million tonnes in 2025. Of the total, more than 20 million tonnes could potentially enter the ocean through rivers, coastal areas, small islands, ports, and marine activities, and thereby, pose a risk to coastal ecosystems and marine biota.
Indonesia is accelerating plans to increase lithium imports, particularly from Australia, in a bid to fill gaps in the electric vehicle (EV) battery supply chain and realise its ambition of becoming a global EV manufacturing hub.
Illustrative image (Source: VNA) 
