The visit is made at the invitation of Lao Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith.

PM Phuc is accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, Minister-Chairman of the Government Office Mai Tien Dung, Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh, and other officials.

Taking place on September 6-9, the ASEAN Summit and related meetings will see the participation of leaders from 10 ASEAN countries, China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the US, Russia, India, Australia and New Zealand, and the attendance of the UN General Secretary.

Senior officials of ASEAN countries meet

Senior officials of ASEAN countries met in Vientiane, Laos, on September 5 to prepare for the 28th &29 th ASEAN summits and related meetings which will convene from September 6.

The Vietnamese delegation to the meeting is led by Deputy Foreign Minister Le Hoai Trung.

The senior officials’ meeting took a close look at the final working programmes, agendas and content of documents to be approved at the upcoming summits.

A total of 11 official meetings are scheduled to take place from September 6 to 9, including the 28th & 29th ASEAN Summits; the 19th ASEAN+3 Summit; the fourth East Asia Summit (EAS); seven ASEAN+1 summits with seven partners – namely China, the Republic of Korea, Japan, the US, India, Australia and the United Nations; and the 8th Mekong – Japan Summit Meeting.

Nearly 50 documents will be signed, adopted and acknowledged at those meetings, while Laos as ASEAN Chair will issue a number of Chairman Statements.

The senior officials also discussed the pace of implementation of the ASEAN Political-Security Blueprint 2025; how to promote ASEAN’s principles and behavior standards; pushing the observance of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and the building of the Code of Conduct (COC).

In addition, they debated measures to promote external relations and ASEAN’s central role as well as improve the efficiency of ASEAN agencies’ operation and coordination.

Preparations for the conference of ASEAN Foreign Ministers slated for later this month in New York, the US, and the ASEAN-EU Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Bangkok, Thailand in October were another issue on the senior officials meeting’s agenda.

As scheduled, ASEAN Foreign Ministers will convene the 14th meeting of the ASEAN Political –Security Community Council and the 18th meeting of the ASEAN Community Council on September 6 morning to finalise preparations for the ASEAN Summits.

The 28th & 29th ASEAN Summits will open on September 6 afternoon.

VNA