ASEAN Senior Officials' Meeting held on Monday in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, ahead of the main events of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting (AMM-55). — VNA/VNS Photo

PHNOM PENH — A meeting of senior ASEAN officials (SOM) took place on Monday to prepare for the 55th ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting (AMM-55) and related conferences in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, which is chair of ASEAN this year.

Ambassador Vũ Hồ, Acting Head of SOM ASEAN Việt Nam, attended the meeting.

At the meeting, ASEAN senior officials discussed and agreed on the agenda and activities of the upcoming meetings of the foreign ministers.

Their discussion also aimed at responding to strategic challenges facing the region such as the effective control of the COVID-19 pandemic, recovery progress, geopolitical competition, current traditional and non-traditional issues, and increasing ASEAN’s connectivity, centrality and resilience.

This year's AMM is of great significance, not only because it is the biggest and most important foreign ministerial activity of the year, but also the first time that the foreign ministers of ASEAN countries and nearly 20 partners have a face-to-face meeting after nearly three years of disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In the next four days, foreign ministers of ASEAN and partner countries will attend more than 20 activities within the framework of ASEAN, ASEAN+1, ASEAN+3, East Asia Summit (EAS) and ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) to discuss the process of building the ASEAN Community, develop orientations for the development of the ASEAN Community post-2025, review and determine the relationship between ASEAN and partners, and discuss the international and regional situation.

The ASEAN SOM Heads also reviewed the progress of negotiations and drafted documents expected to be submitted to the foreign ministers, including AMM-55 Joint Communiqué, Action Plan to Enhance the Implementation of the Treaty of Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ Treaty), and updated reports on the implementation of the cooperative action plan between ASEAN and its partners.

Also at the meeting, the countries discussed ASEAN’s priorities in 2022, affirmed their commitment to support Cambodia as Chair of ASEAN in 2022 in successfully implementing the set priorities, updated the cooperation situation between ASEAN and other partner countries, and had exchanges on a number of regional and international issues of mutual concern. — VNS