Senior officials of ASEAN countries met in the first ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting (SOM) of 2020 in Nha Trang city of the south central province of Khanh Hoa on January 16.

At the meeting (Photo: VNA) 

The meeting is presided over by Deputy Foreign Minister and head of the ASEAN SOM Vietnam delegation Nguyen Quoc Dung.

The meeting reviewed preparations for the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Retreat (AMM Retreat) slated for January 16 and 17. The officials also discussed the pace of implementation of ASEAN leaders’ decisions at the 35th ASEAN Summit in Thailand in 2019, as well as external relations, regional and international issues, among others.

Participants spoke highly of the orientations, priorities and initiatives proposed by Vietnam as Chair of ASEAN in 2020 to carry out cooperation plans of ASEAN in the year.

They also affirmed to put more efforts into raising the organisation’s central role and positive image in international forums.

They added that as Vietnam and Indonesia are both non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, ASEAN has more chances to bolster exchanges and cooperation with the UN and other international organisations, thereby positively contributing to peace, stability, security and prosperity of the region and the world.

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy FM Dung pledged that as ASEAN Chair in 2020, Vietnam will spare no efforts for success of the ASEAN Community.

A programme of ASEAN SOM and documents waiting for approval in the year were introduced on the occasion.

ASEAN Foreign Ministers are scheduled to hold a working session in the evening of January 16.