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The ASEAN Senior Officials Meeting (SOM), the first activity among preparatory conferences for the 17 th ASEAN Summit and related summits, wrapped up in Hanoi on Oct. 26.
At the two-day conference, chaired by Head of SOM ASEAN-Vietnam and assistant to the Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Quang Vinh, ASEAN senior officials reviewed preparations for the 17 th ASEAN Summit and related summits slated for Oct. 28-30, 2010, in Hanoi .
They reached consensus on the planned agenda which includes a working lunch among leaders of ASEAN and the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ABAC), the opening ceremony of the 17 th ASEAN Summit and the ASEAN leaders’ unofficial retreat and dinner on Oct. 28.
Under the agenda, there will be the second Japan-Mekong Summit, the ASEAN+1 Summit (with China , Japan , the Republic of Korea (RoK), separately), the ASEAN+3 Summit and the third ASEAN-UN Summit on Oct. 29.
A musical banquet will be hosted by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on the evening of Oct. 29.
The fifth East Asia Summit, the ASEAN-India, the ASEAN-Australia, the ASEAN-New Zealand Commemorative and the second ASEAN-Russia Summits will take place on Oct. 30.
Leaders of ASEAN countries and partners will pay courtesy visits to and attend lunch hosted by State President Nguyen Minh Triet on Oct. 30 while the closing ceremony and a press briefing by PM Dung as ASEAN Chair will take place on the afternoon of Oct. 30.
ASEAN senior officials agreed on the content to be discussed at the conference, focusing on building the community and effectively implementing the ASEAN Charter, expanding and deepening ASEAN external relations and consolidating ASEAN centrality in the region, and enhancing cooperation to cope with rising challenges.
The leaders were expected to exchange views on regional and international issues of mutual concern.
SOM also discussed and finalised draft documents to be presented to leaders and ministers for approval. They included seven chair statements on the summits’ results and more than 30 important documents.
The ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting, the ASEAN Coordinating Council and the ASEAN Economic Community Council will take place on Oct. 27 in preparation for the 17 th ASEAN Summit and related summits.
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