ASEAN Joint Foreign-Economic Ministers’ Meeting Convenes Today

By Maizatul Jamny Muhammad Rosli

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 25 (Bernama) -- The ASEAN Joint Foreign and Economic Ministers’ Meeting will convene today to align strategic priorities between both tracks ahead of the 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits beginning Sunday.

The joint meeting, bringing together foreign and economic ministers, is expected to forge consensus on key deliverables and strengthen coordination across ASEAN’s community pillars, reflecting the regional bloc’s commitment to unity and coherence amid complex global challenges.

The meetings, set to be held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, gather ministers and senior officials from all ASEAN member states, as well as Timor-Leste, the ASEAN Secretariat and experts from the ASEAN Geoeconomic Task Force (AGTF).

Malaysia, as ASEAN Chair, remains steadfast in its belief that closer synergy between the foreign and economic pillars will enhance the bloc’s capacity to address cross-cutting issues, from trade facilitation and investment promotion to regional security and people-to-people connectivity.

Today’s morning itinerary also includes the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, the 30th ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC) Council Meeting and the 37th ASEAN Coordination Council (ACC) Meeting. 

The day’s proceedings will also see Timor-Leste taking another historic step towards full membership in ASEAN, with the Ceremony of Depositing of Instrument of Accession to the ASEAN Charter and the Treaty on the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ). 

A separate signing ceremony will formalise Finland’s accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), reaffirming its commitment to ASEAN’s founding principles of peace, neutrality and dialogue-based engagement.

On the sidelines, the ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ABIS) 2025 is taking place at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC), providing a platform for regional and global business leaders to exchange views on technology, growth strategies and regional integration.

The 47th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits will convene from Oct 26 to 28, under Malaysia’s ASEAN 2025 Chairmanship theme of ‘Inclusivity and Sustainability’.

It is set to be one of the largest meetings in the bloc’s history, serving as a crucial platform to foster deeper collaboration while addressing regional and global challenges in a cohesive, inclusive manner.

This is the fifth time Malaysia has assumed the ASEAN Chair since the bloc’s inception in 1967, with the previous chairmanship in 2015, 2005, 1997 and 1977.

-- BERNAMA