Latest news with #AseanSecretariat
The Star
3 days ago
- Business
- The Star
Asean Sec-Gen hails 'twin successes' of 46th Summit with Vision 2045, Timor-Leste admission
Asean Secretary-General Dr Kao Kim Hourn speaks during an interview with media practitioners held in conjunction with the 46th ASEAN Summit at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on May 25, 2025. - Photo: Bernama JAKARTA: (Bernama) Asean Secretary-General Dr Kao Kim Hourn on Wednesday (May 28) hailed the 46th Asean Summit in Kuala Lumpur as a success, citing the adoption of the Asean Community Vision 2045 and progress toward Timor-Leste's full membership as landmark outcomes. Held under Malaysia's 2025 Asean Chairmanship themed "Inclusivity and Sustainability', the two-day summit embodied the spirit of Asean's collective aspirations, he said. Kao highlighted the "twin successes' of the summit - the launch of the Asean Community Vision 2045 with four strategic plans, and the consensus to admit Timor-Leste as Asean's 11th full member, with formal induction expected at the October summit. "Leaders reached consensus on Timor-Leste's full membership during the summit's retreat session,' he said, noting that a dedicated Timor-Leste unit has been established within the Asean Secretariat to support the accession process. He made the remarks during a briefing on the summit's outcomes-including the 2nd Asean-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit and the Asean-GCC-China Summit-attended by the diplomatic corps and media at the Asean Headquarters. Reflecting on the overall outcome, Kao said the summit was successful in terms of participation, substance, and organisation, achieving its intended goals, with a total of 22 outcome documents adopted during the summits. On internal challenges, Kao said Asean leaders engaged in "frank and candid' discussions, particularly regarding the crisis in Myanmar and regional economic pressures. "External meetings with China and the GCC also emphasised trust-building both within the region and with external partners,' he stressed. On Myanmar, he said leaders reaffirmed the validity of the five-point consensus and noted growing support for appointing a long-term special envoy to step up diplomatic efforts amid ongoing violence and humanitarian concerns. On impact of US tariffs, Kao said Asean countries face serious economic disruption but have agreed not to retaliate, instead opting for cooperative negotiations with Washington. He added that the bloc plans to upgrade its free trade agreements with South Korea, explore a potential region-to-region free trade agreement with the GCC. At the Asean-GCC meeting, Kao both sides agreed to deepen co-operation in areas such as trade, investment, tourism, air connectivity, people-to-people exchange, and energy transition as well as discuss the Palestine and Gaza issues. The inaugural Asean-GCC-China Summit was also held, where leaders underscored the importance of a rules-based multilateral trading system and explored synergies in trade, energy, and technology. When asked about the possibility of Papua New Guinea (PNG) joining Asean following Indonesia's expressed support, Kao stated that although the matter was brought up, there has been no formal discussion among Asean member states to date. "That is something that our officials would need to look into,' he said, adding that consensus among all current members would be necessary for PNG to join. - Bernama
Malay Mail
5 days ago
- Politics
- Malay Mail
As 46th summit opens in KL, Asean sec-gen reaffirms centrality, backs Malaysia's Myanmar leadership
KUALA LUMPUR, May 26 — Asean Secretary-General Dr Kao Kim Hourn has reaffirmed that the regional bloc remains united and committed to its centrality and solidarity, even amid growing external pressures and persistent challenges such as the South China Sea dispute and the Myanmar crisis. Speaking to the media ahead of the 46th Asean Summit at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) here, Kao said the commitment was demonstrated when Asean Foreign Ministers, who met in four separate meetings yesterday, collectively reiterated that Asean's strength lies in its unity and centrality role in the region. 'The message is very clear. Asean Foreign Ministers have not just emphasised unity, but also reaffirmed how Asean will continue working together during this very challenging time,' he said. Kao, who is leading the Asean Secretariat delegation to the 46th Summit, as well as the 2nd Asean-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit and the inaugural Asean-GCC-China Summit, said the bloc has consistently maintained a united voice on regional and global issues when engaging both internally and with external partners. Commenting on Malaysia's announcement to send a delegation to Myanmar to resume engagement with stakeholders there, Kao said this reflects the active role of the Asean Chair and the Special Envoy on Myanmar. 'We've seen that under Malaysia's chairmanship this year, the country has been very proactive and consistent in leading Asean, especially in efforts to engage Myanmar,' he said. He cited Malaysia's swift response to Myanmar's recent 7.7-magnitude earthquake as a key example of this leadership. In coordination with Thailand, Malaysia initiated a special Asean Foreign Ministers' meeting to discuss the delivery of assistance. 'The meeting was convened promptly to coordinate a common Asean response. Following that, we've seen the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Myanmar both collectively and individually by member states,' he said. Kao noted that Asean continues to play a key role in mobilising regional and external support, channelling it through Asean-coordinated platforms. On the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus (5PC), Kao said Asean remains firm in its position. 'We want to see a long-term ceasefire, non-violence, inclusive political dialogue, and an escalation in humanitarian assistance to help the people of Myanmar affected by both the political crisis and the recent natural disaster,' he said. Responding to a question on whether Asean would press Myanmar's military junta to hold direct talks with the National Unity Government and other stakeholders, Kao reiterated the bloc's position by saying: 'We want to see an inclusive political dialogue that involves all key stakeholders. What I've observed is that Malaysia has been quite forthcoming in exercising leadership, with the support of Asean member states,' he said. Despite growing concerns over external influence and internal discord, Kao stressed that Asean's consistency, cohesion and commitment to regional peace and stability remain unwavering. — Bernama
Free Malaysia Today
5 days ago
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Asean unity remains strong, 5-point consensus still relevant, says sec-gen
Asean secretary-general Kao Kim Hourn said the grouping's strength lies in its unity and centrality role in the region. (Bernama pic) KUALA LUMPUR : Asean secretary-general Kao Kim Hourn has reaffirmed that the regional bloc remains united and committed to its centrality and solidarity, even amid growing external pressures and persistent challenges such as the South China Sea dispute and the Myanmar crisis. Speaking to the media ahead of the 46th Asean Summit at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Kao said the commitment was demonstrated when Asean foreign ministers, who met in four separate meetings yesterday, collectively reiterated that Asean's strength lies in its unity and centrality role in the region. 'The message is very clear. Asean foreign ministers have not just emphasised unity, but also reaffirmed how Asean will continue working together during these very challenging times,' he said. Kao, who is leading the Asean Secretariat delegation to the 46th summit, as well as the 2nd Asean-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit and the inaugural Asean-GCC-China summit, said the bloc has consistently maintained a united voice on regional and global issues when engaging both internally and with external partners. On Malaysia's announcement that a delegation will be sent to Myanmar to resume engagement with stakeholders there, Kao said this reflects the active role of the Asean chair and the special envoy on Myanmar. 'We've seen that under Malaysia's chairmanship this year, the country has been very proactive and consistent in leading Asean, especially in efforts to engage Myanmar,' he said. He cited Malaysia's swift response to Myanmar's recent 7.7-magnitude earthquake as a key example of this leadership. In coordination with Thailand, Malaysia initiated a special Asean foreign ministers' meeting to discuss the delivery of assistance. 'The meeting was convened promptly to coordinate a common Asean response. Following that, we've seen the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Myanmar both collectively and individually by member states,' he said. He said Asean continues to play a key role in mobilising regional and external support, channelling it through Asean-coordinated platforms. On the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus, Kao said Asean remains firm in its position. 'We want to see a long-term ceasefire, non-violence, inclusive political dialogue, and an escalation in humanitarian assistance to help the people of Myanmar affected by both the political crisis and the recent natural disaster,' he said. Asked whether Asean would press Myanmar's military junta to hold direct talks with the national unity government and other stakeholders, Kao reiterated the bloc's position by saying: 'We want to see an inclusive political dialogue that involves all key stakeholders. 'What I've observed is that Malaysia has been quite forthcoming in exercising leadership, with the support of Asean member states.' Despite growing concerns over external influence and internal discord, he said, Asean's consistency, cohesion and commitment to regional peace and stability remain unwavering.
New Straits Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- New Straits Times
Asean unity remains strong amid challenges, 5PC still relevant
KUALA LUMPUR: Asean Secretary-General Dr Kao Kim Hourn has reaffirmed that the regional bloc remains united and committed to its centrality and solidarity, even amid growing external pressures and persistent challenges such as the South China Sea dispute and the Myanmar crisis. Speaking to the media ahead of the 46th Asean Summit at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre here, Kao said the commitment was demonstrated when Asean foreign ministers, who met in four separate meetings yesterday, collectively reiterated that Asean's strength lies in its unity and centrality role in the region. "The message is very clear. Asean foreign ministers have not just emphasised unity, but also reaffirmed how Asean will continue working together during this very challenging time," he said. Kao, who is leading the Asean Secretariat delegation to the 46th Summit, as well as the second Asean-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit and the inaugural Asean-GCC-China Summit, said the bloc has consistently maintained a united voice on regional and global issues when engaging both internally and with external partners. Commenting on Malaysia's announcement to send a delegation to Myanmar to resume engagement with stakeholders there, Kao said this reflects the active role of the Asean Chair and the Special Envoy on Myanmar. "We've seen that under Malaysia's chairmanship this year, the country has been very proactive and consistent in leading Asean, especially in efforts to engage Myanmar," he said. He cited Malaysia's swift response to Myanmar's recent 7.7-magnitude earthquake as a key example of this leadership. In coordination with Thailand, Malaysia initiated a special Asean Foreign Ministers' meeting to discuss the delivery of assistance. "The meeting was convened promptly to coordinate a common Asean response. "Following that, we've seen the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Myanmar both collectively and individually by member states," he said. He said Asean continues to play a key role in mobilising regional and external support, channelling it through Asean-coordinated platforms. On the implementation of the Five-Point Consensus (5PC), Kao said Asean remains firm in its position. "We want to see a long-term ceasefire, non-violence, inclusive political dialogue, and an escalation in humanitarian assistance to help the people of Myanmar affected by both the political crisis and the recent natural disaster," he said. Responding to a question on whether Asean would press Myanmar's military junta to hold direct talks with the National Unity Government and other stakeholders, Kao reiterated the bloc's position. "We want to see an inclusive political dialogue that involves all key stakeholders. "What I've observed is that Malaysia has been quite forthcoming in exercising leadership, with the support of Asean member states," he said. Despite growing concerns over external influence and internal discord, Kao stressed that Asean's consistency, cohesion and commitment to regional peace and stability remain unwavering. — BERNAMA
New Straits Times
6 days ago
- Business
- New Straits Times
Timor-Leste's participation in Asean meetings has surged - Asean sec-gen
KUALA LUMPUR: Timor-Leste is steadily carving its place in the Asean family, with several milestones already achieved under the official roadmap, said Asean Secretary-General Dr Kao Kim Hourn today. Citing stronger participation in Asean processes as a key indicator, Kao noted that Timor-Leste's engagement in Asean meetings has significantly increased this year. "In the first quarter of this year, Timor-Leste attended about 90 per cent of Asean meetings, compared to 83 per cent last year. "That's a big jump," he said during a media interview held in conjunction with the 46th Asean Summit here. Featured Videos Kao is leading the Asean Secretariat delegation to participate in the summit as well as the 2nd Asean-Gulf Cooperation Council (Asean-GCC) Summit and inaugural Asean-GCC-China Summit held on May 26-27. He said Asean leaders are expected to further deliberate on Timor-Leste's membership bid during their meeting tomorrow, which Malaysia is hosting as the 2025 Asean Chair. On the concrete steps taken, Kao highlighted the establishment of a dedicated Asean state coordination unit within Timor-Leste's government, a move aimed at aligning the country's internal structure with Asean mechanisms. "This is the kind of progress I'm talking about," he said. Asean partners here to attend the summit also discussed these developments, evaluating Timor-Leste's implementation of the membership roadmap, which was endorsed at the 42nd Asean Summit in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia, in 2023. One major factor that could shape the timeline for Timor-Leste's accession is the anticipated adoption of the Asean Community Vision 2045 and its four strategic plans, which are expected to be endorsed during this summit, he said. The bloc's current community blueprints are due to expire by the end of this year, with the Asean Vision 2045 set to guide the region's direction from 2026 onwards. "This is a very important factor. But, of course, the decision of the Asean member states on when Timor-Leste will become a full member is entirely up to them," Kao said. Timor-Leste's Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Minister Bendito dos Santos Freitas has expressed confidence that full membership could be achieved as early as this year. Timor-Leste was granted observer status in 2022, marking its first official step into the Asean framework.
