Senior economic officials from ASEAN met in the Brunei capital city of Banda Seri Begawan on April 7 to prepare for the third ASEAN Coordinating Council Working Group (ACCWG) scheduled for April 8-10.

Representatives from the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Foreign Ministry of Vietnam attended the meeting, known as the ASEAN Senior Economic Officials’ Meeting (SEOM).

The officials discussed a draft agenda for the third ACCWG, contents for the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in preparation for the 22nd ASEAN Summit and related meetings, a draft report on ACCWG’s outcomes for the 12th ASEAN Coordinating Council (ACC) and Timor Leste’s access to ASEAN economic agreements.

Participants debated the double-sided impacts and challenges facing ASEAN and Timor Leste when the latter joins regional economic agreements, even including those signed between ASEAN and dialogue partners, especially in the context that the ASEAN Economic Community will be established by 2015.

The event is among the ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meetings and the ASEAN Preparatory Meetings which are taking place from April 7-9 to gear up for the first ASEAN Summit this year and the ASEAN Preparatory Ministerial Meeting on April 10-11, which will see the presence of Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh.

This year, Brunei took the action plan themed “Our people, Our future together” in its role as rotating ASEAN chair. Previous, the country assumed the chair in 1989, 1995 and 2001.

Brunei King Hassanal Bolkiah has affirmed his commitment to accelerating ASEAN’s connectivity and integration, and maintaining peace, security, stability and development in the region, marching towards the goal of realising the ASEAN Community by 2015.

Source: VNA