MINISTER PETTIGREW TO ATTEND ASEAN MEETINGS IN LAOS
Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew will attend the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) Post-Ministerial Conference (PMC) meeting and the ASEAN Regional
Forum (ARF) meeting taking place in Vientiane, Laos, from July 28 to 29, 2005.
“ASEAN and the Asia Pacific region are of great importance to Canada,” said Minister
Pettigrew. “We are not only major trading partners, but we also work together to
promote peace and security. I also look forward to these meetings to explore ways to
further our cooperation in other areas.”
ASEAN is a regional organization comprising 10 Southeast Asian countries—Brunei
Darussalam, Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore,
Thailand and Vietnam—with a combined population of half a billion people.
The Post-Ministerial Conference was established in 1978 as an annual forum for
discussion on political, economic, social and development issues. The Conference
provides an opportunity for the 10 foreign ministers of ASEAN member states to meet
with foreign ministers of 10 dialogue partners (Australia, Canada, China, the European
Union, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Russia and the United
States). Topics to be discussed this year include cooperation on a range of
transnational issues, including the trafficking of persons and narcotics, as well as trade
and investment, the environment, and health security issues.
Created in 1994, the ARF is a key multilateral forum in the Asia Pacific region dealing
with peace and security issues. It comprises the 10 ASEAN members plus 14 other
states: Australia, Canada, China, the European Union, India, Japan, the Democratic
People’s Republic of Korea, the Republic of Korea, Mongolia, New Zealand, Pakistan,
Papua New Guinea, Russia and the United States. This year, discussion topics will
include the fight against terrorism, non-proliferation, arms control and disarmament, as
well as human rights.
Canada has participated in the PMC since becoming a dialogue partner in 1977, and
Canadian foreign ministers have participated in the ARF since it was established in 1994.
- 30 -
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Sébastien Théberge
Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of Foreign Affairs
(613) 995-1851
