By Mohd Iswandi Kasan Anuar
JAKARTA, Jan 16 (Bernama) -- ASEAN secretary-general Dr Kao Kim Hourn will lead the ASEAN Secretariat delegation to the first ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat (AMM Retreat) of 2025, to be held in Langkawi, Malaysia, from January 18.
Kao’s participation in the two-day event comes at the invitation of Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, the ASEAN Secretariat stated in a statement on Thursday.
“The meeting will commence discussions on key priorities of Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship in 2025 under the theme ‘Inclusivity and Sustainability’, and chart ASEAN’s work for the rest of the year,” the secretariat noted.
Key topics of discussion will include the ASEAN Community Vision 2045, important matters related to ASEAN community building, and the exchange of views on regional and international issues.
Kao is also scheduled to meet with Laos’ Foreign Affairs Minister, Thongsavanh Phomvihane, during his stay in Langkawi, the secretariat added.
Malaysia officially assumed the chairmanship of the ASEAN 2025 on January 1, the fifth time it has led the regional grouping since its establishment in 1967.
Over 300 key meetings and programmes are scheduled to take place across the country throughout the year.
Malaysia has previously chaired ASEAN in 1977, 1997, 2005, and 2015.
-- BERNAMA
