The ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) Drafting Committee held a meeting on Saturday to launch key preparations for the upcoming 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, which will take place from July 8 to 11 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC).
This meeting was chaired by Datuk Suhaimi, Deputy Secretary-General of the ASEAN-Malaysia National Secretariat High-Level Working Group, and focused on consultations and finalizing the joint communiqué, which will serve as the core outcome document of the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
The communiqué will articulate the ASEAN foreign ministers’ common positions and resolutions on regional integration, community building, as well as regional and international issues of concern.
The drafting meeting is also considered a crucial step in finalizing the agenda and setting the tone before the ministerial-level consultations begin.
Timor-Leste also attended the meeting as an observer country.
In line with Malaysia’s chairmanship theme of “Inclusive and Sustainable,” the 58th Foreign Ministers’ Meeting will feature 24 ministerial sessions, including dialogues with ASEAN’s dialogue partners and sectoral dialogue partners.
During the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, Malaysia will also host the 4th Conference on Cooperation among East Asian Countries for Palestinian Development (CEAPAD IV).
This conference will be co-chaired by Malaysia and Japan, aiming to explore various initiatives in support of Gaza and Palestine’s reconstruction and development.
This Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and its related events are expected to attract around 1,500 delegates, including foreign ministers from ASEAN member states, Timor-Leste, ASEAN dialogue partners, participants from the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), sectoral dialogue partners, and senior officials from the ASEAN Secretariat.