ASEAN FMs discuss interaction in maintaining peace

HANOI, January 14 (Itar-Tass) - A meeting of the Ministers of Foreign
Affairs of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) opened in
the Vietnamese city of Danang on Thursday.
A session of the ASEAN Coordinating Committee and the Association's
Public Council for Political and Security Affairs is to be also held
within the framework of the ministerial meeting.
These consultations, which have officially ushered in a year of
Vietnam's presidency at the ASEAN, will focus on a discussion of themes
aimed at giving greater scope to interaction within the scope of the
Association with a view to maintaining peace and stability in the region.
The Ministers are also to discuss their countries' preparations for an
ASEAN summit that is to be held in Hanoi at the end of this year under the
motto "ASEAN Community: From Vision to Action".
As has been stated by Vietnam's Deputy Foreign Minister Dao Viet
Trung, General Secretary of the National Committee for the Observance of
the 2010 Year of ASEAN, Vietnam, while performing the functions of the
Association's presiding country, will devote paramount attention to the
strengthening of solidarity and enhancement of interconnection among all
ASEAN members. Vietnam as ASEAN's presiding country, will hold a series of
ministerial meetings and two summits, including an ASEAN one, and arrange
for their consultations with Dialogue Partner Countries, and hold a
session of the Regional Security Forum.
The ASEAN brings together the following ten Southeast Asian countries:
Brunei, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore,
Thailand, and the Philippines. Vietnam became an ASEAN member in 1995 and
already performed the duties of presiding country in 1998.
-0-pop