The Asean Foreign Ministerial Meeting (AMM) next week will be a test of its centrality and relevancy as never seen before. The annual meeting has to confront sensitive new and divisive issues that will require the 55-year-old bloc's collective wisdom, commitment and foresight.
At the upcoming annual meeting, external issues will dominate the agenda. The ripple effects of the Russian-Ukraine war, Myanmar's quagmire and Timor Leste' s membership of Asean are three hot issues that Asean members will spend time discussing. The earlier identified 36 priorities by the Cambodian chair during its first informal meeting in Siem Reap in January are still important for Asean. Indeed progress has been made on the cross-sectoral pillars but they have escaped public and media attention. However, for the benefit of Asean's optics in the international community, tackling these external issues forcefully is essential.
