ASEAN Opens Ministerial Meeting in BangkokThe Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) opened its 33rd Ministerial Meeting (AMM) in Bangkok Monday.The meeting will review the progress in implementing various decisions by ASEAN leaders at the 3rd informal summit in Manila last November, including the decision to increase ASEAN's competitiveness in the globalized world market, the decision to create E-ASEAN, to develop social safety nets, human capital, and the progress in the implementation of the six-year Hanoi Plan of Action (HPA) adopted in 1998. Under the theme "Towards a Comprehensive Development Agenda," the AMM will also discuss ASEAN members' cooperation in the political, security, economic and financial fields, and review ASEAN's external relations with its dialogue partners as well as other outside entities. Attending Monday's meeting are foreign ministers from its 10 member countries that cover the whole area of Southeast Asia, Papua New Guinea, an observer and the Secretary-General of ASEAN. As the host country, Thai Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai will make an opening address, who earlier this morning received a courtesy call from the foreign ministers and the secretary-general. After the AMM opening ceremony and a closed session, the foreign ministers will have a retreat in the afternoon when they will have frank and candid exchanges of views among themselves without the presence of other officials. ASEAN groups Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. |
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