(KPL) On July 26 in Vientiane, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Saleumxay Kommasith co-chaired the ASEAN-Australia Foreign Ministers' Meeting. He also led the delegation in the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meetings with various dialogue partners, including China, New Zealand, Japan, the EU, Republic of Korea, India, Russia, the UK, and Canada.

Deputy Prime Minister Saleumxay chaired a tripartite meeting between Lao PDR, the ASEAN Secretariat, and Turkey. As the coordinating country for ASEAN-Australia cooperation (2021-2024), the Lao PDR hosted the ASEAN-Australia Foreign Ministers' Meeting alongside Australian Foreign Minister Mrs. Penny Wong.

The meeting celebrated the success of the special summit marking the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-Australia cooperation, held on March 4, 2024, in Melbourne, Australia. They reiterated their commitment to implement the summit's outcomes to benefit ASEAN and Australia, adopting a new ASEAN-Australia action plan (2025-2029) to strengthen their comprehensive strategic partnership. Additionally, they urged the swift completion of negotiations to establish the ASEAN-Australia Centre. The Lao PDR handed over its role as coordinating country for ASEAN-Australia cooperation to Indonesia.

During the ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers' Meeting, participants celebrated 2024 as the year of people-to-people exchanges, promoting various programmes in education, cultural exchange, training, and tourism. The meeting reviewed six proposals from China and adopted the ASEAN-China Joint Foreign Minister's Statement on Strengthening Cooperation in Humanitarian Explosive Disposal.

The ASEAN-New Zealand Foreign Ministers' Meeting supported New Zealand's proposal to hold a summit in Malaysia at the end of 2025 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-New Zealand cooperation. They agreed to discuss the preparations for this special summit and noted New Zealand's intention to upgrade its cooperative relationship with ASEAN to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

In the ASEAN-Japan Foreign Ministers' Meeting, attendees encouraged the implementation of the summit held in December 2023 in Tokyo, Japan, marking the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-Japan relations. They also accelerated negotiations on establishing an ASEAN Centre for public health emergencies and epidemics to ensure an effective regional public health infrastructure.

The ASEAN-EU Foreign Ministers' Meeting focused on implementing the joint declaration approved in February 2024, strengthening cooperation through projects under the ASEAN-EU cooperation mechanism, particularly in regional connectivity, trade, investment, people-to-people exchanges, environment, and climate change.

The ASEAN-Republic of Korea Foreign Ministers' Meeting celebrated the 35th anniversary of their cooperation and agreed to elevate their relationship. They drafted a joint statement to establish a comprehensive strategic partnership to be proposed at the 25th ASEAN-R. Korea Summit in October 2024.

The ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers' Meeting praised the progress of the ASEAN-India Action Plan (2021-2025) aimed at promoting a comprehensive strategic partnership. They agreed to enhance economic cooperation, connectivity, digital connectivity, education, capacity building, and people-to-people exchanges.

The ASEAN-Russia Foreign Ministers' Meeting adopted a joint declaration celebrating the 20th anniversary of Russia joining the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia. They reviewed past cooperation and outlined future directions to strengthen ASEAN-Russia relations.

The ASEAN-UK Foreign Ministers' Meeting reviewed the progress of their Cooperation Action Plan (2022-2026) and adopted a joint statement on increasing connectivity for a stable and sustainable future. They emphasized mutual interest areas and continued the action plan's implementation.

The ASEAN-Canada Foreign Ministers' Meeting agreed on Canada's proposal to hold a special summit on ASEAN connectivity and resilience in Vientiane in October 2024. They decided to create a new action plan (2026-2030) to replace the current one expiring at the end of 2025. The Lao PDR was honored as the coordinating country for ASEAN-Canada cooperation through 2027.

During the tripartite meeting between the ASEAN President, Secretary General, and Turkey, they adopted a new action plan (2024-2028) to enhance the ASEAN-Turkey sector partnership. They focused on priority areas such as trade, investment, reducing development disparity, education, personnel development, and encouraging more exchanges and visits between people.

KPL