Foreign Minister Winston Peters travels to Laos this week to participate in a series of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-led Ministerial meetings in Vientiane.

“ASEAN plays an important role in supporting a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Mr Peters says.

“This will be our third visit to Southeast Asia and sixth visit to an ASEAN member state since the start of the year. Through concrete actions we are demonstrating our steadfast commitment to the region, which is central to New Zealand’s prosperity and security.”

Mr Peters will also participate in the annual Foreign Ministers’ meetings of the East Asia Summit and ASEAN Regional Forum, which bring together ASEAN and its key Indo-Pacific partners. Mr Peters experience with the Summit stretches back nearly 20 years, having attended the inaugural Foreign Ministers meeting in December 2005 and a further eight since.

"With next year marking 50 years since New Zealand became an ASEAN dialogue partner, these meetings present a valuable opportunity to engage our partners on strategic issues facing the wider region, and advance practical cooperation in areas such as maritime security, counter terrorism, transnational crime and cyber security,” Mr Peters says.

Mr Peters will also hold several bilateral meetings with counterparts in the margins of the ASEAN-led events.

Notes:

• ASEAN comprises 10 South East Asian countries: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Viet Nam. Timor-Leste is beginning the process of accession as the 11th member of ASEAN.
• New Zealand is a founding member of the East Asia Summit, which is a forum for strategic dialogue and cooperation on political, security, economic and social issues of common concern. It comprises the 10 ASEAN countries, Australia, China, India, Japan, New Zealand, the Republic of Korea, Russia and the United States.
• The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) includes the 10 ASEAN members and 17 other countries in the region, including New Zealand. Foreign Ministers attend the annual ARF Ministerial Meeting, which is a valuable opportunity for consultation on regional security and political issues, and on global matters that affect the region. The ARF’s priorities include: confidence-building and preventive diplomacy, counter-terrorism and transnational crime, disaster relief, maritime security, and disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons.

© Scoop Media