18th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting kicks off in Laos with focus on connectivity and resilience

Vientiane, August 28: ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn and ASEAN Ministers responsible for combating transnational crime attended the 18th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime in Vientiane, Laos on Wednesday, with East Timor as an observer.

The meeting, themed “ASEAN: Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience” and chaired by Lao PDR, discussed recent and emerging trends in transnational crime, as well as the implementation of the ASEAN Plan of Action (PoA) to combat transnational crime for the period 2016-2025, ASEAN informed X.

In his opening remarks at the meeting, Secretary-General Kao expressed his readiness to work closely with ASEAN member states to intensify their efforts to shape ASEAN’s joint agenda and combat both current and emerging transnational crime.

“Lao PDR oversight of the ongoing evaluation of priority areas of cooperation will also play a critical role in addressing and shaping the future of our joint efforts against transnational crime,” he said.

The Secretary-General further stated: “We are now in the final year of the implementation of our ASEAN Community Blueprints 2025. At the same time, the ASEAN Community Vision 2045 and four new strategic plans that we are now working on across our three pillars, including ASEAN Connectivity, are gradually taking shape and will be ready for adoption next year under the Malaysian chairmanship of ASEAN.”

“Within the ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC), transnational crime remains a critical focus of our Strategic Plan in the coming decades. This emphasis underscores the need for the AMMTC and its subsidiaries to play a more active and proactive role in leading the implementation of our future strategic plan,” he added.

The meeting also resulted in the adoption of a Declaration, a Joint Declaration and other guiding documents. In addition, the 18th AMMTC welcomed Malaysia as the incoming AMMTC Chairman in 2025.

IANS