Dato’ Seri Utama Haji Mohamad Haji Hasan will chair the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat (AMM Retreat)

The ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat (AMM Retreat) will be chaired by Minister of Foreign Affairs Dato’ Seri Utama Haji Mohamad Haji Hasan on 19 January 2025, in Langkawi, Kedah. The ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat marks the inaugural meeting in the annual ASEAN calendar at the ministerial level, occurring under Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship for 2025.

The AMM Retreat will include the engagement of foreign ministers and high-ranking officials from ASEAN member states. Timor-Leste’s foreign minister will participate as an ASEAN observer. In attendance will be the ASEAN Secretary-General, along with a representative from Myanmar.

At the retreat, Malaysia will outline the key focus areas and expected outcomes for its chairmanship, centered around the theme “inclusivity and sustainability.” Malaysia will emphasize its role in enhancing the ASEAN Community by focusing on the identified priority areas and deliverables that encompass the three pillars: political-security, economic, and socio-cultural. This will demonstrate Malaysia’s aim to promote a more integrated, inclusive, and sustainable ASEAN while contributing to regional peace, stability, and prosperity.

The Retreat will address ASEAN’s strategic direction, initiatives to enhance the ASEAN Community, and ASEAN’s external relations. The meeting will assess the follow-up actions regarding the decisions made by ASEAN leaders during the 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits and Related Summits, which took place in Vientiane, Lao PDR, in October 2024.

Furthermore, ASEAN Foreign Ministers will engage in discussions regarding recent developments in both regional and international matters, including the situation in Myanmar, geopolitical tensions, and various challenges impacting regional peace and stability.

The foreign minister will seize the opportunity to engage in bilateral meetings with his counterparts to address matters concerning the enhancement of ASEAN and bilateral relations.