Foreign ministers and delegates from Southeast Asian nations joined in a meeting in Vientiane on Tuesday, October 8, as Laos' top diplomat highlighted the region's 'concerted effort' is much needed amid the current geo-political climate.
"Our meeting is held when the region and the world continue to face with a rapidly changing and complex geopolitical and geo-economic landscape that presents both opportunity and challenges," Saleumxay Kommasith said in his opening remarks at the meeting taking place ahead of the leader's summit of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) later this week in Laos.
Myanmar has sent the foreign ministry's permanent secretary, Aung Kyaw Moe, to join the meetings as a representative despite the junta leader being banned from the bloc's gatherings.
Asean continues to bar the junta leadership from its summits over their failure to comply with the peace plan they had initially agreed to, which has vexed the bloc's most prominent countries.
REUTERS/HOST BROADCASTER