51st ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting and Related Meetings kicked off in Singapore on Monday

Arirang News 2018-07-31

Views 22

Diplomacy ramping up elsewhere in the region this week.
The annual ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting is underway in Singapore.
It began on Monday, bringing together not only the top diplomats of the 10 ASEAN states... but their key partners from South Korea, China, Japan and the U.S.
They'll be discussing issues of regional and global importance,... with extra attention this year on the two Koreas and the U.S.
Lee Ji-won has this report.
The seven-day ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting and Related Meetings is expected to cover a wide range of regional and international issues.
But among them the hot topic for this year, is likely to be the latest developments surrounding the Korean Peninsula and northeast Asia.

The ASEAN Regional Forum, one of the major sessions at the annual meeting,... is the only multi-party regional security forum that North Korea partakes in,... and as such, Pyongyang's foreign minister Ri Yong-ho is to attend the event as well.
And with Seoul's foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha and Washington's Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to be in the city-state this week as well, the focus is on whether these three diplomats will meet and make progress in the June 12 agreement between North Korea and the U.S..

The leaders of North Korea and the U.S. met in Singapore just over a month ago to hold a historic and unprecedented summit, where the two sides promised to work on improving ties and achieve North Korea's denuclearization.

While Seoul's foreign ministry says organizing a three-way meeting is still under work, anticipation is building up on whether Kang and Ri would meet, marking the first foreign ministerial meeting between Seoul and Pyongyang in 11 years.

Foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha will be heading to the island state on Tuesday afternoon, and she is expected to join in 5 sessions, including the ASEAN plus three meeting.
Minister Kang is also scheduled to hold bilateral talks on the sidelines with the majority of the ASEAN member states to discuss ways to boost economic cooperation and regional security.
Lee Ji-won, Arirang News.

Share This Video


Download

  
Report form