MFA Press Statement: Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo's meetings at the 42nd AMM/PMC/16th ARF, 19- 23 July 2009

Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo led the Singapore delegation to the 42nd ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM), the annual Post-Ministerial Conferences (PMC) with its Dialogue Partners, and the 16th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in Phuket, Thailand from 19 to 23 July 2009.

At the 42nd AMM, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers discussed ways to deepen regional integration, close the development gap and advance ASEAN's community building efforts. In this respect, discussions included how greater physical connectivity could be achieved within ASEAN, and with its surrounding region, by working in concert with partners in the East Asia Summit. ASEAN Foreign Ministers also endorsed the Terms of Reference for an ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights, and recommended the launch of the Commission at the 15th ASEAN Summit in October 2009.

At the ASEAN Plus Three Foreign Ministers' Meeting, the Ministers discussed the strengthening of ASEAN's cooperation with China, Japan and Korea, including the expeditious launch of the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralisation (CMIM) by end-2009.

At the East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers Informal Consultations, the Foreign Ministers agreed to strengthen cooperation in the areas of finance, education, combating the influenza A(H1N1) pandemic, and enhancing regional connectivity.

During the PMCs with Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Japan, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Russia, and the US, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers discussed ways to enhance cooperation with these Dialogue Partners. ASEAN welcomed the United States' accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, and its announcement of its intention to establish a dedicated mission to ASEAN in Jakarta in the near future. Singapore completed its country coordinatorship of the ASEAN-US Dialogue Relations and assumed the coordinatorship for ASEAN-Australia.

At the 16th ARF, the ARF Ministers exchanged views on key regional developments and adopted the ARF Vision Statement. They also discussed ways to advance ARF cooperation from the Confidence Building Measures phase to the Preventive Diplomacy phase.

Minister Yeo also had bilateral meetings with Stephen Smith, the Foreign Minister of Australia, and Javier Solana Madariaga, High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union.