The press conference (Source: Xinhua/VNA)Kuala Lumpur (VNA) - The signing of a historic declaration on the formation of an ASEAN Community by the end of this year by all 10 ASEAN leaders will be the highlight of the upcoming 27th ASEAN Summit.
During the 27th ASEAN Summit and related meetings that will take place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from November 18-22, ASEAN leaders will also sign the Kuala Lumpur declaration on ASEAN Vision to 2025 and discuss regional and international issues of shared concern, announced a press conference in Kuala Lumpur on November 18.
The summit will draw leaders from ten ASEAN member nations and dialogue partners, including Australia, China, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea (RoK), New Zealand, Russia, and the US. The United Nations Secretary General will attend the event, said the press conference.
A series of related activities will be held in the framework of the event, including t he 18th ASEAN+3 Summit between ASEAN and Japan, the RoK and China , the 10th East Asia Summit (EAS) Summit, and the 7th ASEAN-UN Summit.
As many as 18 important documents are scheduled to be approved during the summit, including the ASEAN Joint Statement on climate change, the Regional Plan of Action to implement the ASEAN Joint Declaration on the enhancement of social welfare, the Kuala Lumpur Declaration on higher education, the ASEAN Post-2015 Declaration on environmental sustainability and climate change agenda.
Other documents such as the EAS Declaration on the global movement of moderates, the Joint Declaration on ASEAN-US Strategic Partnership, the ASEAN+3 Declaration on economic growth promotion and regional financial stability, the EAS Declaration on the enhancement of maritime cooperation in Asia Pacific, are also expected to be adopted at the event.
ASEAN leaders will attend a signing ceremony on the ASEAN declaration against trafficking in persons, particularly women and children, the press conference said.
During their meetings on November 21-22, leaders from ASEAN member states and the dialogue partners will focus their discussions on future partnership in the fields of security, economy and culture. They will share views on issues related to the East Sea, extremism and terrorism and the environment protection.
On November 20, the 13th meeting of the ASEAN Political-Security Community Council, the 14th meeting of the ASEAN Economic Community Council and the 17th meeting of the ASEAN Coordinating Council will be held in Kuala Lumpur.
Malaysia will hand over the Chair of ASEAN 2016 to Laos after the Summit
Malaysia assumed the Chair of ASEAN on January 1, 2015. The country has hosted many important events of the group, including the 26th ASEAN Summit in April, the 48th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting (AMM 48) and relevant meetings from August 1-6, and the 47th Meeting of the ASEAN Economic Ministers (AEM 47) and related meetings from August 20-25.
ASEAN, which groups 10 nations - Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam - is the seventh largest economy in the world with a total GDP of 2.5 trillion USD.-VNA
