Follow us on Telegram for the latest updates: https://t.me/mothershipsg
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong will lead the Singapore delegation to the 42nd Asean Summit from May 10 to May 11, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) announced on May 9.
The summit will be held from May 9 to May 11 in Labuan Bajo, Indonesia.
PM Lee will be accompanied by his wife Ho Ching, Minister for Foreign Affairs Vivian Balakrishnan, as well as officials from the PMO and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA).
In his absence, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Lawrence Wong will be the Acting Prime Minister on May 9 and May 10.
Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean will take over the role of Acting Prime Minister from May 11.
42nd Asean Summit
This will be the first of two Summits hosted by Indonesia as the 2023 Asean Chair.
The theme of its chairmanship is “Asean Matters: Epicentrum of Growth”, which stresses the importance of areas such as economic integration and community-building efforts.
During the summit, leaders from Asean countries will be reviewing the regional organisation’s progress and discuss ways to further enhance collaboration in their digital and green economies.
They are also expected to exchange views on the geopolitical situation while maintaining the view of Asean as an open, inclusive and stable regional architecture.
Discussions will likely be centred on international and regional developments, including the ongoing conflict in Myanmar.
Singapore & Asean
PM Lee last led a Singaporean delegation to the 40th and 41st Asean summits held in Cambodia in November 2022, during which leaders discussed progress in the post-pandemic era.
Foreign Minister Vivian also attended the Asean Coordinating Council Meeting and the Asean Foreign Ministers’ Retreat held in early February 2023, where he spoke about Timor Leste as the group’s newest member, as well as Myanmar.
When Indonesia Prime Minister Joko "Jokowi" Widodo visited Singapore in March 2023, he and PM Lee also spoke about the same issues.
The latter also reaffirmed Singapore's full support for Indonesia’s chairmanship of Asean.
You might be interested:
Related:
Top images via Facebook/Lee Hsien Loong & MOFA Indonesia