ASEAN Bulletin
August 2007

1. Economic Ministers in Manila for Annual Meeting, 23-26 August 2007
2. Viet Nam Prime Minister Visits the ASEAN Secretariat , 9 August 2007
3. Prime Minister Lee of Singapore Delivers 2007 ASEAN Lecture
4. Philippines Hands Over ASEAN Chairmanship to Singapore

Economic Ministers in Manila for Annual Meeting, 23-27 August 2007

The Economic Ministers from the ten ASEAN Member Countries are convening in Manila for the 39th ASEAN Economic Ministers Meeting (AEM), and related annual meetings, from 23 to 27 August 2007.

At their meeting, the Economic Ministers endorsed the text of the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint and its Strategic Schedule and the text of the Declaration on the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint for signing by the ASEAN Leaders at the 13th ASEAN Summit in November 2007 in Singapore.

In addition, the Ministers have endorsed the Roadmap for ASEAN Integration of the Logistics Services Sector as the twelfth priority sector for ASEAN integration, and signed the ASEAN Sectoral Integration Protocol for Logistic Services Sector and the Protocol to Amend Article 3 of the ASEAN Framework (Amendment) Agreement for the Integration of Priority Sectors.

Following the 39th AEM, the ASEAN Economic Ministers will meet with their counterparts from Australia, China, the Republic of Korea (as part of the AEM Plus Three along with China and Japan), Japan and New Zealand over two days on 25-26 August 2007. The ASEAN Ministers will also convene a meeting of the ASEAN Mekong Basin Development Cooperation (AMBDC) on 27 August 2007.

Prior to the 39th AEM, the ASEAN Investment Area (AIA) Council and the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) Council held their meetings on 23 August 2007.

Outcome Documents from the 39th AEM Meeting and Related Meetings are below:

• Joint Media Statement of the Tenth ASEAN Investment Area (AIA) Council Meeting Joint Media Statement, Makati City, Philippines, 23 August 2007

• Joint Media Statement of the Twenty-First Meeting of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) Council, Makati City, Philippines, 23 August 2007

• Joint Media Statement of the Thirty-Ninth ASEAN Economic Ministers’ (AEM) Meeting, Makati City, Philippines, 24 August 2007
• Joint Media Statement of the Twelfth AEM-CER Consultations, Makati City, Philippines. 26 August 2007
• Joint Media Statement of the Fourteenth Consultation between the ASEAN Economic Ministers and the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan (AEM-METI), Makati City, Philippines, 25 August 2007
• Joint Media Statement of the Tenth Consultations between the ASEAN Economic Ministers and the Ministers of People’s Republic of China, Japan and Republic Korea (AEM Plus Three), Makati City, Philippines, 25 August 2007
• Joint Press Statement of the Sixth Consultations between the ASEAN Economic Ministers and the Minister of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China, Makati City, Philippines, 25 August 2007

Last updated on 26 Aug 2007

Viet Nam Prime Minister Visits the ASEAN Secretariat
9 August 2007

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung of the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam arrived at the ASEAN Secretariat to a warm welcome on the morning of 9 August 2007.

The Prime Minister’s visit to the Secretariat was part of his state visit to Indonesia from 8-9 August 2007. He was met by Mr. Nicholas Tandi Dammen, Deputy Secretary-General of the ASEAN Secretariat, and introduced to several Jakarta-based ASEAN Ambassadors, and ASEAN Secretariat Staff. The half and hour visit was concluded with a tour of the ASEAN Gallery.

Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung arrived at the ASEAN Secretariat

Speech by the Prime Minister congratulating ASEAN on the 40th Anniversary

Group photo with the Jakarta-based ASEAN Ambassadors

Viewing arts collection at the ASEAN Gallery

Posted on 9 August 2007

Prime Minister Lee of Singapore Delivers 2007 ASEAN Lecture

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore outlined the key challenges facing ASEAN in his 2007 ASEAN Lecture in Singapore on 7 August 2007. Prime Minister Lee also spoke on the four areas of focus for Singapore’s chairmanship of ASEAN from August 2007 to July 2008, namely: strengthening ASEAN internally; deepening ASEAN’s community building efforts; deepening ASEAN’s engagement of external powers; and focussing on the inter-related issues of energy, environment, climate change and sustainable development during the 13th ASEAN Summit (and related Summits) in Singapore. The full text of the 2007 ASEAN Lecture can be found here.

The ASEAN Lecture is an annual event held in conjunction with ASEAN’s Anniversary on 8 August. It is intended to bring wider attention to long-term strategic issues of vital importance to ASEAN, and to enhance ASEAN’s standing as a catalyst for regional solidarity, cooperation and development.

Each year an eminent person from ASEAN, or one with close connection to ASEAN, is invited by the Secretary-General of ASEAN to deliver the Lecture, dwelling on any subject of his or her choice. The previous four ASEAN Lectures were delivered by H.E. Megawati Soekarnoputri in Jakarta in 2003, H.E. Phan Van Khai in Ha Noi in 2004, H.E. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Jakarta in 2005, and H.E. Dato’ Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi in Kuala Lumpur in 2006

Posted on 8 Aug 2007

Philippines Hands Over ASEAN Chairmanship to Singapore

Marking the close of the Philippines’ chairmanship of ASEAN, the Philippine Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alberto G. Romulo handed over the Chairmanship of the ASEAN Standing Committee to the Singapore Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo on 2 August 2007 in Manila.

During the Philippine chairmanship, ASEAN made headway in its community building efforts, most notably, with the start of the drafting of the ASEAN Charter and the signing of the ASEAN Convention on Counter Terrorism.

The handing-over ceremony came at the end of a series of annual ASEAN meetings which included the 40th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (AMM), Post Ministerial Conferences (PMC) and the 14th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF).

The key documents and statements from the 40th AMM, PMC and 13th ARF can be found here.

The 41st ASEAN Standing Committee is expected to hold its first meeting in August 2007 in Singapore.

• Click here for the Statement by His Excellency George Yeo, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Singapore at the Closing Ceremony of the 40th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting and Handing Over of the ASEAN Standing Committee Chairmanship. Manila, 2 August 2007

• Click here for the Statement of H.E. Alberto G. Romulo, Secretary of Foreign Affairs at the Closing Ceremony of the 40th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting and the Handing-over of the ASEAN Standing Committee Chairmanship, Manila, 2 August 2007

Posted on 2 Aug 2007