8 August 2014 – Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario and the Foreign Ministers of nine other ASEAN member-countries were present at the official opening of the 47th ASEAN Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) today, August 08, at the Myanmar International Convention Center in the capital city of Nay Pyi Taw. The Foreign Ministers of Papua New Guinea, Timor Leste and Mongolia, as well as the Deputy Ministers of Turkey and Norway were also invited by Myanmar, the current chair of ASEAN.
President U Thein Sein, who officially opened the 47th AMM, paid tribute to the presence of guests in the meeting, which also coincided with the 47th anniversary of the founding of ASEAN.
“ASEAN today is striving for integration and is gaining success,” President U Thein Sein said as he proclaimed a market of 609 million with a combined GDP of US$ 2.5 trillion for the organization.
The Myanmar President articulated three priorities for ASEAN. The first is the successful establishment of ASEAN Community through the completion of the remaining 20 targets of the ASEAN Community Blueprint. The second is to improve efficiency and effectiveness, for which the High Level Task Force was created at the 23rd ASEAN Summit in Brunei to improve coordination of ASEAN organs and mechanisms. Finally, President U Thein Sein alluded to ASEAN’s dynamism to adopt to changing realities as well as to regional and international dynamics.
The President also reminded the 47th AMM that the ultimate goal of ASEAN is to bring prosperity to the peoples of member-countries and to ensure peace and stability. The Nay Pyi Taw Declaration adopted at the 24th ASEAN Summit reflects the political will of the ASEAN Leaders to carry out these objectives. This year’s theme is “Moving Forward in Unity for a Peaceful and Prosperous Community.”
The priorities of Philippine participation in the 47th AMM and Related Metings from August 5 to 10 are disaster risk reduction and management, maritime security, ASEAN connectivity, regional security architecture, human rights and the rule of law. END