17th ASEAN Regional Forum opens in Vietnam

Participants of the 17th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) pose for a group photo in Vietnamese capital Hanoi July 23, 2010. The 17th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) opened here on Friday, with participation of foreign ministers or representatives of 27 ARF members to discuss security issues and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. (Xinhua/Chen Duo)

23 July, 2010
Source: People Daily

The 17th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) opened here on Friday, with participation of foreign ministers or representatives of 27 ARF members to discuss security issues and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.

The meeting is chaired by Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Gia Khiem. Vietnam holds the rotating ASEAN Chairmanship this year.

The annual ARF is the principal channel for multilateral security dialogue and cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.

With the heightened tension on the Korean Peninsula following a South Korean warship sinking in March resulting in the loss of 46 sailors, the convening of 17th ARF has drawn attention from the world as all participants in the Six-Party Talks are represented in the ARF.

Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi, Foreign Minister Pak Ui Chun of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan of the Republic of Korea (ROK), Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada all attended the 17th ARF.

Delegates at this meeting are also expected to adopt the Hanoi Plan of Action to implement the ARF Vision Statement by 2020. The statement contains policy guidance for the ARF to further develop and contribute to peace and security in the region.

A Chairman's Statement will be issued later on Friday to announce the major results of the meeting.

At present, ARF comprises 27 members including the ten ASEAN member states namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, the 10 ASEAN dialogue partners namely Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States, and seven other countries in the Asia and Pacific region namely Bangladesh, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Pakistan, Mongolia, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste, and Papua New Guinea.