Kuala lumpur: ASEAN plays a role as a “beacon of peace” and a model regional organisation for dialogue, cooperation, and the peaceful settlement of differences, Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son stated at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat within the 58th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM-58) in Malaysia on July 9. The same day afternoon, Son and ASEAN foreign ministers attended the signing ceremony marking Uruguay and Algeria’s accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), bringing the total number of signatories to 57.

According to Vietnam News Agency, ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meetings with partner countries within the framework of ASEAN+1 and ASEAN+3 are scheduled to take place on July 10. On the sidelines of AMM-58, Son had a working breakfast with Foreign Ministers of Laos, Cambodia and meetings with Foreign Ministers of the Philippines and Timor Leste.