Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh attends opening ceremony of ASEAN Summits in Laos

The opening ceremony was officially opened by H.E. Sonexay Siphandone, Prime Minister of Lao PDR and ASEAN Chair for 2024, and attended by ASEAN Leaders, Leaders of Dialogue Partners of ASEAN, ASEAN Foreign Ministers and other invited guests.

Following the opening ceremony, Prime Minister Pham will attend the plenary session of the 44th ASEAN Summit and the retreat session of the 45th ASEAN Summit.

He will also join ASEAN leaders' interface with representatives of ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA), ASEAN leaders' interface with representatives of ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC), and ASEAN leaders' interface with representatives of ASEAN youth.

Themed "ASEAN: Enhancing Connectivity and Resilience", leaders to these summits are expected to discuss measures to boost ASEAN connectivity and resilience, consolidate the ASEAN Community building process, deepen ASEAN's relations with dialogue partners, and exchange views on regional and international issues.

Prime Minister Pham will deliver his remarks at these summits, focusing on ASEAN cooperation orientations, shaping the future of ASEAN, and navigating the role of the bloc, said Deputy Foreign Minister Do Hung Viet.

The 44th and 45th ASEAN Summits, taking place after the United Nations' Summit of the Future, are expected to strongly affirm and spread the irreplaceable value and importance of multilateralism in the current context, affirmed Do.

The ASEAN Summit is the highest policy-making body in ASEAN comprising the Head of States or Governments of ASEAN Member States. 

The ASEAN Summit is held twice annually at a time to be determined by the Chair of the ASEAN Summit in consultation with other ASEAN Member States. 

The summit is to be hosted by the ASEAN Member State holding the ASEAN Chairmanship. The First ASEAN Summit was held in Bali, Indonesia on February 23-24, 1976./.