Top diplomats of Southeast Asian bloc meet in Laos

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ISTANBUL (AA) – Top diplomats of Southeast Asian bloc met in Laos on Thursday.

Laos capital Vientiane is hosting various meetings of Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, where the bloc’s top diplomats held their 57th meeting.

According to a brief statement by the 10-member bloc on X, the top diplomats reaffirmed their commitment to support Laos’ theme of this year’s activities -- “ASEAN: Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience.”

Timor-Leste attended the meeting as “Observer.”

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said the meeting underlined the need to ensure ASEAN’s community vision 2045 be “forward-looking and resilient to future challenges.”

“ASEAN must also foster greater solidarity on global issues and respecting international law in a consistent manner, including in the South China Sea and Palestine,” Marsudi said on X after the meeting.

The ASEAN will also hold bilateral meetings, at the bloc level, with China, the US, Russia as well as India.

Foreign ministers of the participating nations are attending the ASEAN summit where top Chinese and American diplomats, Wang Yi and Antony Blinken, are expected to hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines.