The Lao PDR as Chair of ASEAN 2016 hosted and chaired the ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) at the National Convention Centre in Vientiane Capital on Jul 22, 2016.
The meeting was chaired by Mr Alounkeo Kittikhoun, Minister to the Prime Minister’s Office and Laos’ ASEAN SOM leader in the attendance of senior officials’ leaders from ASEAN member countries, Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN for ASEAN Political-Security Community and delegates.
The officials discussed efforts toward effective implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 in particular the implementation of the ASEAN Political-Security Community Blueprint 2025 which was adopted by ASEAN leaders at the 27th ASEAN Summit in November 2015.
They also discussed on-going efforts to implement the Recommendations of the High Level Task Force on Strengthening the ASEAN Secretariat and Reviewing the ASEAN Organs, applications by countries to accede to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, as well as the adoption of ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Statement on the occasion of the 40th Anniversary of the TAC.
The senior officials also exchanged views on the promotion of ASEAN’s external relations and ASEAN Centrality and discussed preparations for the ASEAN Plus Three Senior Officials’ Meeting, East Asia Summit Senior Officials Meeting, the Meeting of Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone Commission.
Discussion was also made on the preparations for ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Interface with ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights, the 49th ASEAN Foreign Minister’s Meeting, Post Ministerial Conferences with ASEAN’s Dialogue Partners, the 17thASEAN Plus Three Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, the 6th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and the 23rd ASEAN Regional Forum, which will be held on July 23-26, 2016 in Vientiane.
