A series of foreign ministers meetings among ASEAN and related countries is set to start in Laos on Thursday. The Myanmar and South China Sea issues are expected to be high on the agenda.
The meetings will be held in the capital, Vientiane, through Saturday. The related countries include the United States, China, Russia and Japan.
The ASEAN foreign ministers meeting is to take place on Thursday. A main topic is expected to be the situation in Myanmar, where fierce fighting has continued since the coup in 2021.
Myanmar’s military regime had boycotted major ASEAN meetings. But this year it has sent senior officials to ministerial-level meetings. The permanent secretary of the foreign ministry will attend the meetings in Laos.
A draft for the joint statement obtained by NHK indicates the ASEAN members are making arrangements to include the expression that the ministers strongly condemn the continued violence in Myanmar. The focus is on whether they will discuss ways to calm the situation.
Meetings among ASEAN and the related countries will be held on Friday. All eyes are on discussions between the Philippines and China, which are at odds over their sovereignty claims in the South China Sea.
At the ASEAN Regional Forum on Saturday, the participants are expected to exchange views on security in the Asia-Pacific region, including situations related to North Korea and Taiwan.