FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay Jr. is set to join his counterparts in Southeast Asia in the upcoming meetings in Laos where he is expected to bring up the developments in the South China Sea, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Friday.
Yasay will attend the 49th Asean Foreign Ministers' Meeting and Related Meetings from July 23 to 26, his first since assuming the post.
"The Secretary will share the Philippines’ perspectives on Asean Community building, the developments in the South China Sea and Korean Peninsula and pressing issues of regional concern including violent extremism, trafficking in persons, illegal drugs, and climate change, among others," the DFA said.
The Permanent Court of Arbitration earlier ruled in favor of the Philippines on its maritime row with China in the South China Sea.
Laos, which is the current host of AMM as the chair of Asean for 2016, has adopted the theme, "Turning Vision into Reality for a Dynamic Asean Community."
Aside from AMM, Yasay will also participate in the Ministerial Meetings of the Asean Plus Three, Asean Regional Forum (ARF), and East Asia Summit (EAS) including the Asean Post-Ministerial Conference (PMC) with Dialogue Partners such as China, India, Canada, Australia, and the United States.
He is also slated to attend the Meetings of the South East Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone (SEANWFZ) Commission, AMM Interface with the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission for Human Rights (AICHR) Representatives, and the Southwest Pacific Dialogue (SwPD).
Yasay will also hold bilateral meetings with several counterparts to exchange views on matters affecting bilateral relations and common concerns on global and regional issues at the sidelines of the AMM.
The AMM is the second regular Meeting of Asean Foreign Ministers this year under the Chairmanship of Lao PDR, after the Asean Foreign Ministers’ Retreat in February. (SDR/Sunnex)