by SHAUQI WAHAB
THE ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM), held today at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), emphasises the importance of the upcoming 46th ASEAN Summit in achieving the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, which envisions a resilient, innovative, and people-focused regional bloc.
Chaired by Foreign Ministry Secretary-General Datuk Seri Amran Mohamed Zin, the meeting served as a preparatory session for the Summit, as well as the second ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit and the first ASEAN-GCC-China Summit, all scheduled to take place on May 26 and 27.
“The Meeting also recognised the upcoming ASEAN-GCC and ASEAN-GCC-China Summits as critical platforms to enhance ASEAN’s external partnerships, particularly in the areas of energy, trade, investment, and sustainable development,” the Foreign Ministry (Wisma Putra) stated in a Facebook post.
The meeting brought together ASEAN SOM leaders and the SOM representative from Timor-Leste, who discussed current regional developments and issues of shared interest.
Among the key topics were the progress of ASEAN Community building, implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, strengthening external relations, Timor-Leste’s journey towards full ASEAN membership, and the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC).
This year marks Malaysia’s fifth chairing ASEAN, following previous terms in 1977, 1997, 2005, and 2015.
The 46th ASEAN Summit is expected to tackle a broad range of regional and international challenges, with the ongoing crisis in Myanmar remaining a central issue for the bloc.
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