MFA Press Statement: 41st AMM/PMC/15th ARF

Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo as the ASEAN Chairman, will host the 41st ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM), the Post Ministerial Conferences (PMC) and the 15th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in Singapore from 17 July - 24 July 2008.

During the AMM, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers will review the on-going efforts to create an ASEAN Community by 2015 and seek the early ratification of the ASEAN Charter. They will also issue a Statement on the Plan of Action to Implement the ASEAN Charter. The Foreign Ministers will meet with the High Level Legal Experts' Group (HLEG) that will address legal issues related to the ASEAN Charter including dispute settlement mechanisms, as well as with the High Level Panel on the Establishment of the ASEAN Human Rights Body (HLP) that will draft the Terms of Reference of the Body. The ASEAN Foreign Ministers will also exchange views on regional developments, including ASEAN and the international community's humanitarian assistance efforts for the victims of the Cyclone Nargis disaster.

The ASEAN Foreign Ministers will meet separately with Foreign Ministers and representatives from ASEAN Dialogue Partners, which comprise Australia, Canada, China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, the European Union, New Zealand, Russia and the United States. The Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) with China, India, Japan, Korea, the EU, Australia and New Zealand will be discussed. The ministers are expected to explore ways to further intensify cooperation.

The Foreign Ministers of the ASEAN+3 process will meet to chart the next steps of ASEAN+3 cooperation. The Foreign Ministers of the East Asia Summit (EAS) countries will hold Informal Consultations to discuss regional and international issues as well as EAS matters. The ARF Ministers will exchange views on developments in the region, and discuss ways to move the ARF into practical areas of cooperation and preventive diplomacy. In addition, they will issue the Singapore Declaration on the 15th ARF to reiterate their commitment to the ARF process, as well as an ARF Statement on Promoting Collaboration on the Prevention of Diversion of Precursors into Illicit Drug Manufacture.

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) will accede to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia.

Singapore will hand over the Chairmanship of ASEAN to Thailand on 24 July 2008.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS
SINGAPORE
16 JULY 2008