Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi chairs the 33rd ASEAN Coordinating Council meeting in Labuan Bajo on May 9 (Photo:asean.org) Jakarta (VNA) - The ASEAN Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM), convened on May 8 in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, discussed the priorities of Indonesia's ASEAN Chairmanship in 2023 as well as preparations for the ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting and the 42nd ASEAN Summit.
Director General for ASEAN Cooperation and SOM Leader for Indonesia Sidharto Reza Suryodipuro said that ASEAN's external relations, such as the accession application of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, including by Saudi Arabia, Panama, and Spain, were also discussed at SOM.
Sidharto revealed that plans for the ASEAN-Canada Summit, ASEAN Gulf Cooperation Council, and ASEAN Shared Civilization Values Conference were also discussed during the meeting.
In addition to SOM, the ASEAN Coordinating Council Working Group on Timor-Leste meeting was also convened. Both meetings were attended by the ASEAN member countries, including Timor-Leste as a member in principle, as well as Myanmar with a non-political representative.
Regarding Timor-Leste's membership, Sidharto said that a roadmap has been discussed, which includes important elements such as legal instruments, financial contribution schemes, and strengthening the capacity of Timor-Leste's civil servants in order to prepare the country for full participation in ASEAN.
Indonesia's priorities and shared interests with ASEAN were discussed at the foreign ministers' meeting on May 9, before being discussed at the 42nd ASEAN Summit in 2023 to be held on May 10-11./.
