22 July 2016 – Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto R. Yasay, Jr. will attend the 49th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) and Related Meetings from July 23 to 26, 2016 in Vientiane, Lao PDR. The AMM is the Secretary’s first ASEAN Ministerial Meeting since taking the helm of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs in July 2016. Lao PDR is hosting the AMM as the Chair of ASEAN for 2016. Lao PDR has adopted the theme: “Turning Vision into Reality for a Dynamic ASEAN Community” during its Chairmanship.
Aside from the AMM, Secretary Yasay will also attend the Ministerial Meetings of the ASEAN Plus Three, ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), and East Asia Summit (EAS) including the ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference (PMC) with Dialogue Partners such as China, India, Canada, Australia, and the United States. The Secretary is also slated to attend the Meetings of the South East Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Commission, AMM Interface with the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission for Human Rights (AICHR) Representatives, and the Southwest Pacific Dialogue (SwPD).
The Secretary will share the Philippines’ perspectives on ASEAN Community building, the developments in the South China Sea and Korean Peninsula and pressing issues of regional concern including violent extremism, trafficking in persons, illegal drugs, and climate change, among others.
At the sidelines of the AMM, the Secretary will have bilateral meetings with several counterparts to exchange views on matters affecting bilateral relations and common concerns on global and regional issues.
The AMM is the second regular Meeting of ASEAN Foreign Ministers this year under the Chairmanship of Lao PDR, after the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat in February. END