VIENTIANE (Vientiane Times/ANN): Laos was honoured to host and chair more than 400 Asean meetings this year, with the most important of these being the 44th and 45th Asean Summits and related meetings held in October, said Laos Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone.
The government’s success as the chair of Asean in 2024 was reviewed at a meeting of the National Steering Committee, chaired by PM Sonexay.
During the review meeting, representatives of the 14 sub-committees in charge of Asean meetings throughout 2024 reported on the success of their work, described the challenges they encountered, and suggested ways to remedy them at future events.
The Prime Minister praised the sub-committees, ministries, businesses and provinces that had contributed to Laos’ Asean chairmanship.
He advised the sub-committees to learn from their experiences when organising future regional and global meetings hosted by Laos, so that proceedings run more smoothly.
Laos’ chairmanship of Asean took the theme “ASEAN: Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience”, which is closely linked to the government’s ambition to build on the country’s landlocked status by becoming a centre of regional integration.
The theme also resonates with the overall goal of Asean to build a region that is connected and strong and able to deal with various challenges effectively, at a time when rapid and complex changes are taking place in the region and the world.
Laos’ Asean chairmanship has been deemed a great success, due to the support of all ministries, other government bodies, the general public, the military, police, and businesses. - Vientiane Times/ANN
