ASEAN senior officials prepare for AMM Retreat

Hanoi (VNA) – The ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM ASEAN) took place in Chiang
Mai, Thailand, on January 16-17.
The meeting was
designed to review preparations for the two-day ASEAN Foreign Ministers'
Retreat (AMM Retreat), which began on January 17.
At the event, officials
reviewed the association’s activities with partners this year, including the
organisation of a commemorative summit between ASEAN and the Republic of Korea (RoK),
which is scheduled to take place in the RoK in late 2019.
They agreed to
maintain ASEAN’s central role, while ensuring the bloc’s regulations and
procedures in relations with its partners.
The officials
also discussed the constructions of a code of conduct for recently-proposed
regional cooperative strategies and initiatives.
Thailand takes
over the ASEAN Chair this year with the theme “Advancing Partnership for
Sustainability”, and the AMM Retreat in Chiang Mai is the first scheduled
meeting for the ASEAN member countries.
The foreign ministers are set to discuss issues which include
initiatives to move the ASEAN Community agenda forward. They will also exchange
views on regional and international issues of common concern as well as discuss
the means to enhance ASEAN relations with its dialogue partners.
The ASEAN foreign ministers are set to attend a working dinner on January 17.-VNA