SOM Begins the 42nd ASEAN Summit, Discusses a Number of Important Issues and Indonesian Leadership Priorities

Director General of ASEAN Cooperation at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sidharto Reza Suryodipuro. (Source: Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

JAKARTA - The series of the 42nd ASEAN Summit 2023 which started this Monday, began with a meeting of ASEAN Senior Officials or ASEAN Senior Officials' Meeting (SOM).

The meeting took place at The Golo Mori Convention Center in the Golo Mori MICE area, Komodo District, Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).

"SOM will discuss a number of matters, including the priorities of Indonesia's chairmanship in ASEAN in 2023 and preparations for holding a series of meetings at the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Menlu) level of ASEAN countries and the 42nd ASEAN Summit 2023," said Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Teuku Faizasyah in Labuan Bajo, in a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Monday, May 8.

The ASEAN SOM is a meeting at the level of Senior Officials from the foreign ministries of each ASEAN member country. The meeting was also attended by officials from the ASEAN Secretariat. The results of the ASEAN SOM meeting will be reported and further discussed at the meeting at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers level.

It is known that the Director General of ASEAN Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Sidharto Reza Suryodipuro, who is also Indonesia's SOM Leader, led the ASEAN SOM meeting.

The ASEAN Leaders will start discussing a number of important issues in order to push for a stronger ASEAN region in facing challenges, as well as strengthen ASEAN's economic resilience.

This effort is in line with the theme carried out in Indonesia's chairmanship, "ASEAN Matters: Epicentrum of Growth."

It is known, the series of the 42nd ASEAN 2023 Summit which will take place this week will present eight ASEAN country leaders, plus the Secretary-General of ASEAN and the Prime Minister of Timor Leste (as observers), to discuss a number of issues of common interest to ASEAN.