A meeting of senior ASEAN officials got underway in Vietnam ’s central city of Da Nang on January 13 with representatives from all its 10 member countries and the ASEAN Deputy General Secretary Sayakane Sisouvong in attendance.

They discussed the preparations for the three forthcoming ASEAN ministerial meetings, which will begin on January 14 under the chairmanship of Vietnam ’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem.

The events include the third meeting of the ASEAN Political and Security Community, a meeting of the ASEAN Coordinating Council and the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Retreat.

The Foreign Ministers and the ASEAN General Secretary flew from Thailand to Laos and then travelled overland to Da Nang in Vietnam to attend the three meetings, the first duties of the year for Vietnam , as the country takes its turn as ASEAN chair.

The itinerary aims to promote the East-West economic corridor, an important economic undertaking for ASEAN. The corridor starts in Mawlamyine, a coastal city in Myanmar, passes through Thailand, Laos and on to central Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue provinces ending in Da Nang in Vietnam./.