The ASEAN Summit will be a retreat where the leaders will debate the ten-member group’s external relations and its future orientations. They will also compare notes on regional and international issues of mutual concern.
There will also be dialogues between the ASEAN leaders and representatives of ASEAN youth and the ASEAN Business Advisory Council, along with a range of meetings to be held on the sidelines of the events.
Issues related to the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and the building of the Code of Conduct (COC) will be submitted to the upcoming ASEAN-China Summit in Vientiane, according to Vietnamese Deputy Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung.
The Deputy FM, who led the Vietnamese delegation to the ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) in Vientiane on September 5, said most SOM heads of ASEAN countries expressed their wish for the effective implementation of the DOC and the early signing of the COC.
The SOM was convened to prepare for the 28th &29th ASEAN summits and related meetings which will begin from September 6. The meeting took a close look at the final working programmes, agendas and content of documents to be approved at the upcoming summits.
Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith as ASEAN Chairman, will preside over 11 summits, including the 28th and 29th ASEAN Summits; the 19th ASEAN+3 Summit; the fourth East Asia Summit (EAS); seven ASEAN+1 summits with seven partners – namely China, the Republic of Korea, Japan, the US, India, Australia and the United Nations; and the 8th Mekong – Japan Summit Meeting.
The senior officials also discussed the pace of implementation of the ASEAN Political-Security Blueprint 2025; how to promote ASEAN’s principles and behavior standards; pushing the observance of the DOC and the building of the COC. In addition, they debated measures to promote external relations and ASEAN’s central role as well as improve the efficiency of ASEAN agencies’ operation and coordination.
Preparations for the conference of ASEAN Foreign Ministers slated for later this month in New York, the US, and the ASEAN-EU Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Bangkok, Thailand in October were another issue on the senior officials meeting’s agenda.
According to the organising board, during the 28th Summit, ASEAN leaders will discuss measures to tighten relations within the ASEAN Community and the realisation of the ASEAN Vision 2025 and future orientations. Meanwhile, during the 29th ASEAN Summit, participants will debate the bloc’s external relations as well as regional and international issues of mutual concern.
During the related meetings, the sides will review their relations over the past years and discuss their future cooperation orientations, alongside international and regional issues of common interest. Dozens of documents are expected to be passed during the Summits and related meetings, including a Vientiane Declaration on transition from informal employment to formal employment towards decent work promotion in ASEAN, a Vientiane declaration on reinforcing cultural heritage cooperation in ASEAN, and an ASEAN declaration on the bloc’s common response.
A press centre will be set up at the International Cooperation and Training Centre, about 1km from the National Convention Centre – the venue for the summits. About 1,600 international reporters are expected to carry news on the events.
