LANGKAWI: The Asean Ministerial Meeting (AMM) for Foreign Ministers Retreat this weekend is crucial as it will set the tone for Malaysia's chairmanship in the regional grouping for this year.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said proposals concluded at the retreat would then be escalated to the leaders of member nations for deliberation at the Asean Summit.
"During the meeting, substantive discussions will take place, and a statement will be issued on the second day regarding the outcomes of the Asean foreign ministers' retreat.
"This will set the tone and provide a platform for the summits at the leaders' level, which will take place twice this year — once mid-year and again in October or early November.
"This meeting is crucial as it establishes the direction for Malaysia's chairmanship. Most importantly, Malaysia is the permanent shepherd for the Asean Community Vision 2025-2045," he told reporters after visiting final preparations for the retreat at the Langkawi International Convention Centre (LICC) this evening.
The retreat, which marks the commencement of Malaysia's chairmanship of Asean, will kick off tomorrow with the foreign ministries' Senior Officials Meeting (SOM), followed by the ministers' retreat on Sunday.
Over 200 delegates from Asean will be taking part in the SOM meeting and ministerial retreat.
Mohamad is scheduled to host a welcoming dinner for the delegates.