KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 84 outcome documents are expected from the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said this reflects Malaysia’s commitment as ASEAN Chair to strengthen the regional community’s direction towards the ASEAN 2045 vision.
“Alhamdulillah, Malaysia, as ASEAN Chair, appears to have produced very effective outcomes for the ASEAN Community to face and manage the ASEAN 2045 vision,“ he told reporters after inspecting summit preparations.
This year’s summit will introduce a new approach with foreign ministers and economic ministers meeting jointly for the first time to coordinate decisions and policies.
“In the past, decisions made by the foreign ministers and those made by the economic ministers were not coordinated — they were siloed,“ he said.
Mohamad explained they want to align decisions made by economic ministers and ensure they are considered by foreign ministers in preparing working papers for leaders’ discussions.
The ASEAN Zero Emission Community Meeting with dialogue partners Australia and Japan will also be held to establish the region as a zero-emission community.
Malaysia will determine the direction of the ASEAN–United States Trade Agreement and enhance the ASEAN–China Free Trade Agreement 3.0, with China remaining the bloc’s largest trading partner.
Mohamad will chair the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat on October 24 and 25 to discuss the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation and Timor-Leste’s ASEAN membership admission.
He confirmed all ASEAN leaders and dialogue partners will attend, though Russian President Vladimir Putin’s attendance remains unconfirmed.
Summit preparations are progressing according to schedule with carefully organised logistics and meeting arrangements. – Bernama