ASEAN, dialogue partners strengthen cooperation plans

Meetings between ASEAN member countries and their dialogue partners took place at the National Convention Centre in Vientiane on Friday, all aimed at creating closer ties within the region.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Saleumxay Kommasith (first from left) gathers with other ASEAN and China foreign ministers at the ASEAN-China meeting on Friday.

With Lao Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Saleumxay Kommasith, leading the Lao delegation in discussions with ASEAN negotiators from China, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the EU, South Korea, India, Russia, the UK, and Canada.
The ASEAN-Australia meeting celebrated the successful special summit held in Melbourne in March 2024, marking the 50th anniversary of ASEAN-Australia cooperation.
A new action plan for 2025-2029 was adopted to bolster the ASEAN-Australia comprehensive strategic partnership, and efforts to establish the ASEAN-Australia Centre were encouraged.
During this meeting Laos officially handed over the coordinating role for ASEAN-Australia cooperation to Indonesia.
The ASEAN-China Foreign Ministers’ Meeting highlighted the declaration of 2024 as the year of people-to-people exchanges, focusing on education, cultural exchange, training, and tourism. A joint statement on strengthening cooperation in unexploded ordnance clearance was also adopted during this session.
The ASEAN-New Zealand Foreign Ministers’ Meeting supported a summit in 2025 to celebrate 50 years of cooperation and discussed upgrading their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership.
On the same day, Laos’ Minister of Foreign Affairs met with the Foreign Minister of New Zealand. The two officials expressed their high appreciation of the friendship and strong cooperation that has developed and strengthened over the past six decades.
They also discussed educational cooperation, unexploded ordnance clearance, tourism, trade and investment, the ASEAN-New Zealand cooperation framework, and regional and international issues of mutual concern.
The ASEAN-Japan Foreign Ministers’ Meeting emphasised the outcomes of the 50th anniversary summit held in Tokyo in December 2023, with a focus on establishing an ASEAN Centre for public health emergencies to ensure effective public health infrastructure within the region.
Discussions in the ASEAN-EU Foreign Ministers’ Meeting aimed to enhance cooperation in regional connectivity, trade, investment, and climate change, following the joint declaration approved in February 2024.
ASEAN-South Korea Foreign Ministers’ Meeting marked the 35th anniversary of cooperation, with a draft joint statement proposed for a comprehensive strategic partnership at the summit in October 2024.
The ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers’ Meeting reviewed the ASEAN-India Action Plan for 2021-2025 and aimed to strengthen economic cooperation and connectivity.
ASEAN-Russia talks resulted in a joint declaration celebrating 20 years of Russia’s involvement in the Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, with future cooperation directions discussed.
The ASEAN-UK Foreign Ministers’ Meeting reviewed the ASEAN-UK Cooperation Action Plan for 2022-2026 and adopted a joint statement on enhancing connectivity for a sustainable future.
Laos and the UK jointly signed a Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland and the Government of Laos on the Green Economy Framework.
The ASEAN-Canada Foreign Ministers’ Meeting agreed to hold a special summit in Vientiane in October this year and discussed a new action plan for 2026-2030, replacing the existing action plan which concludes at the end of 2025. Laos is the coordinating country for ASEAN-Canada cooperation until 2027.

By Times Reporters
 (Latest Update July 29, 2024)