The Asean flag is placed alongside the flags of its member countries ahead of the Asean Foreign Ministers' Retreat in Langkawi, Malaysia January 17, 2025. - Photo: Reuters
LANGKAWI (Bernama): Malaysia’s Foreign Minister, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, has safely arrived in Langkawi Friday (Jan 17) for the ASEAN Foreign Ministers (AMM) Retreat, which is set to take place on Saturday.
Arriving at Langkawi International Airport at approximately 5:45 pm, he travelled on the same aircraft as his Laotian counterpart, Thongsavanh Phomvihane, and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Myanmar, Aung Kyaw Moe.
His Bruneian counterpart, Dato Erywan Pehin Yusof, arrived much earlier in the day, while Thailand’s Maris Sangiampongsa is expected to arrive in the evening.
The Philippines’ Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Enrique A. Manalo, arrived on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministers of Cambodia, Indonesia, Singapore, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam are expected to arrive on Saturday.
Timor-Leste's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Bendito dos Santos Freitas, will attend the retreat as an observer.
The AMM Retreat, to be held at the Langkawi International Convention Centre, will mark the first major meeting under Malaysia’s chairmanship of Asean in 2025, heralding an important and action-packed year to come.
Over 200 delegates from the 10 Asean member states, along with observer state Timor-Leste, are expected to attend the retreat.
Malaysia officially assumed the chairmanship of the Asean 2025 on January 1, the fifth time it has led the regional grouping since its establishment in 1967.
Over 300 key meetings and programmes are scheduled to take place across the country throughout the year.
Malaysia has previously chaired Asean in 1977, 1997, 2005, and 2015. - Bernama
