Anifah to lead Malaysian delegation to AMM in Singapore

PUTRAJAYA: Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman, who is leading a Malaysian delegation to the three-day Asean Foreign Ministers' Retreat (AMM Retreat) in Singapore, beginning today, is expected to raise several important regional issues during the event.
"Since this is the first time that the Foreign Ministers will meet during Singapore's Chairmanship of Asean, the discussions at the Retreat are anticipated to be crucial in laying the groundwork for Asean's initiatives and progress throughout 2018," it said.
Wisma Putra said among key issues that would be discussed by the Asean Foreign Ministers were the key themes introduced by Singapore in its capacity as Chairman of Asean, namely 'Resilience' and 'Innovation'.
"In relation to these two key themes, the Asean Foreign Ministers are expected to deliberate and strategise on the means to strengthen Asean's collective resilience against common threats and challenges towards the region, such as terrorism and violent extremism, maritime issues and cyber threats," it added.
Wisma Putra said the Asean Foreign Ministers were also expected to discuss schemes which might promote innovation in the region.
"The AMM Retreat will provide the Asean Foreign Ministers with a platform to discuss regional and international issues of common concern," it said, adding that the ministers were also expected to deliberate on Asean's progress in its community building efforts and Asean's conduct of its external relations.
The statement noted the AMM Retreat would be preceded by several important meetings, namely the Meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives to Asean on Feb 4, followed by the Asean Senior Officials' Meeting on Feb 5.
It said Anifah would be accompanied by his wife, Datin Seri Siti Rubiah Abdul Samad and senior officials from the Foreign Ministry and the Permanent Representative of Malaysia's Mission to Asean, Datuk Shariffah Norhana Syed Mustaffa during the meeting. — Bernama