Asean pays tribute to former Vietnamese president Tran Duc Luong
KUALA LUMPUR: The Asean Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM) today commenced with a tribute to former Vietnamese president Tran Duc Luong, who died on Tuesday.
In his opening remarks during the session, Foreign Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Amran Mohamed Zin conveyed Malaysia's condolences and acknowledged the late leader's significant contributions, particularly in strengthening Asean cooperation.
"Before I proceed, on behalf of Malaysia, I would like to extend our deepest condolences on the passing of the former president of Vietnam.
"The Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim) has already conveyed his sympathies to the government and people of Vietnam, expressing our sorrows and sympathies, and recognising the contribution of the late President Tran Duc Luong to the nation of Vietnam," he said.
Tran Duc Luong died at 10.51pm on Tuesday (May 20) at his residence in Hanoi after a period of illness. He was 88.
He served as deputy prime minister from September 1992 to August 1997 and as president of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam from September 1997 to June 2006.
Meanwhile, ahead of the 46th Asean Summit, SOM officially begins today starting at 8.30am, bringing together Asean SOM Leaders and Timor-Leste's SOM representatives.
Officials from the Asean Secretariat will also attend to align positions on key regional issues ahead of the Asean Heads of State or Government sessions.
At the same time, the Five-Point Consensus to address the ongoing crisis in Myanmar is expected to take centre stage during An informal consultation at 3pm later.
The outcome of the discussions scheduled for 3pm today is expected to shape the bloc's collective response to the current situation.
This year's Asean Summit, with the theme "Inclusivity and Sustainability", is expected to be particularly significant as it includes the 2nd Asean-GCC Summit and the inaugural Asean-GCC-China Summit, reflecting Asean's growing engagement with key international partners.
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