Prep-SOM Meetings Stress Need For Solid Outcome Documents, Show Constructive Spirit
KUALA LUMPUR, May 23 (Bernama) -- The ASEAN Senior Officials' Preparatory Meeting (Prep-SOM), the ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) SOM Preparatory Meeting and the ASEAN-GCC-China Preparatory Meeting today witnessed a strong collective commitment to produce concrete and meaningful outcome documents.
Foreign Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Amran Mohamed Zin said the central focus of the discussions was the need to formulate an outcome document that reflects the achievements and future directions of strategic cooperation between ASEAN, GCC and China.
'We need to pay attention to finer details of issues to be included in the outcome document.
'This will require negotiations, but all parties from ASEAN, GCC and China have shown constructive spirit to secure a successful outcome from upcoming summits,' he told reporters after chairing the ASEAN-GCC-China SOM Preparatory Meeting at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre here.
He said this augurs well for both platforms – ASEAN-GCC and ASEAN-GCC-China – to achieve balanced and beneficial outcomes that not only serve all parties but also strengthen regional stability and prosperity.
'The three meetings focused on two main aspects, namely the order of proceedings for both summits and in-depth discussions on the outcome documents.
'The ASEAN-GCC Summit is expected to produce two outcome documents, namely the Joint Statement and Joint Declaration, while the ASEAN-GCC-China Summit will yield one key document, which is the Joint Statement of the ASEAN-GCC-China Summit.
'At the senior officials' level, efforts are underway to finalise negotiations on all three outcome documents,' said Amran.
The Prep-SOM is a key coordination meeting held prior to the Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) and ministerial or summit-level discussions. It plays a crucial role in detailing matters before formal negotiations or announcements take place.
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