ASEAN Foreign Ministers meet in Da Nang
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem chaired the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM) Retreat in the central city of Da Nang on January 14.
The ministers discussed measures to boost cooperation within the bloc in 2010 and build a united ASEAN community by 2015. They underlined the need to step up efforts for regional integration and directed the High Level Task Force on ASEAN Economic Integration to draw up a blueprint to submit to regional leaders at their 17th summit in Hanoi this year.
They examined reports by the High Level Legal Experts' Group on Follow-up to the ASEAN Charter and other reports by the ASEAN Inter-governmental Commission on Human Rights.
The ministers discussed ASEAN’s role in regional structure and measures to strengthen the bloc’s relations with its partners, with a focus on organising summits between ASEAN and its major partners.
They touched upon the third protocol concerning amendments to the Treaty on Amity and Cooperation (TAC) and how to pave the way for partners and third parties to be incorporated in the treaty.
The same day, Mr Khiem presided over the third meeting of the ASEAN Political-Security Community Council (APSC) and a special meeting of the ASEAN Coordinating Council.