Southeast Asian foreign ministers are gathering for their first meeting this year under the regional bloc’s new chair, Malaysia, seeking a breakthrough over Myanmar’s drawn-out civil war and territorial disputes in the South China Sea.

LANGKAWI, Jan 19 (Bernama) -- Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan on Sunday reaffirmed that ASEAN will continue to drive its own path forward amid intensifying superpower competition in the region. With a highly geo-strategic position, cultural versatility, and economic weight, he said Southeast Asia holds massive potential.

The foreign minister highlights the importance of inclusivity and sustainability, hinting at Timor-Leste’s accession to the regional bloc.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan today opened the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ (AMM) Retreat here, hi

The regional bloc told a junta representative at a meeting that a poll is “not a priority at the moment," Malaysia’s foreign minister said.

Singapore’s foreign affairs minister was speaking after the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat in Langkawi on Jan 18 and 19, the first high-level meeting hosted by Malaysia as the bloc’s 2025 chair.

The retreat on the idyllic northern resort island of Langkawi was the first major meeting of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian ... Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan said Myanmar ...

Malaysia's Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan, Philippines's Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, Brunei Darussalam Foreign Minister Erywan Yusof, Cambodia's Secretary of State Kung Phoak ...

Despite Asean’s call to prioritise peace over a sham election, Myanmar’s military rulers appear bent on clinging to power no matter the cost.

As Singapore’s envoy to the United Nations in the 1980s, Kishore Mahbubani made it a point to connect socially with fellow diplomats in New York. Israel’s representative, Benjamin Netanyahu, was a dinner guest. Zuhdi Labib Terzi, the first Palestinian ambassador to the U.N., was “a friend of mine.”

Last week's Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing for Senator Marco Rubio was very insightful, especially regarding comments related to US-Asean relations. Mr Rubio demonstrated knowledge about Asean and the need for flexibility in engaging with the countries in the region.

The bloc says that any poll must be “inclusive,” but it has limited power to deter the junta from its election plans.