A special meeting of senior officials responsible for information(Special SOMRI) of ASEAN took place Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on August22-23.
There, Secretary-General of the MalaysianCommunication and Multimedia Ministry Kamaruddin Siaraf said the timewas right to look at how SOMRI could improve and redirect their focus toimplement the ASEAN roadmap more effectively.
Hecalled on ASEAN countries to place more emphasis on supporting andpromoting ASEAN awareness, strengthen and develop regional platforms ofpress, television, radio, film and broadcasting.
Attheir meeting, the officials set forth a new strategic direction towardsestablishing an ASEAN Community by 2015, focusing their discussions oncooperation in the media and information sphere and the enhancement ofinfluential role of SOMRI.
They also looked into theneed for setting up specialist groups to study specific issues andexamine the possibility of regular platforms or networks for long-termprojects.
Also present at the event, the ASEANSecretariat will report the outcomes to the Committee on Culture andInformation (COCI) and to the ASEAN Ministers Responsible forInformation (AMRI) in November.-VNA