KUALA LUMPUR – The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretary-General, Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, held a bilateral meeting today with Malaysia’s Foreign Minister and AMM Chair, Dato’ Seri Utama Haji Mohamad bin Haji Hasan, on the sidelines of the 47th ASEAN Summits and related meetings in Kuala Lumpur.
The meeting focused on reinvigorating ASEAN’s community-building agenda in line with the Chair’s key priorities for the year, and reaffirmed the Secretariat’s commitment to supporting all Member States in achieving the goals set out in “ASEAN 2045: Our Shared Future”.
Dr Kao emphasised that the Secretariat stands ready to assist Malaysia’s Chairmanship and the wider ASEAN community in aligning efforts across the diplomacy, economic and socio-cultural pillars.
Minister Mohamad Hasan highlighted Malaysia’s agenda as chair: promoting inclusivity, sustainability, and integration across ASEAN’s political-security and economic domains.
He welcomed the close collaboration with the Secretariat to translate policy frameworks into actionable programmes, especially in areas such as digitalisation, green growth, human capital development and cross-border connectivity.
During the discussion, the two sides stressed the importance of a coherent regional approach as global geo-economic dynamics continue to shift.
They affirmed that strengthening ASEAN’s internal unity and external engagement would be pivotal to maintaining relevance in an increasingly complex international environment.
The Secretary-General reaffirmed that the Secretariat will work with Member States to bolster institutional capacity, monitor progress towards ASEAN 2045 and help realise the Chair’s deliverables ahead of the next Summit.
Analysts say this bilateral meeting underscores how Malaysia, as ASEAN Chair this year, is positioning the organisation to respond to both internal development priorities and external strategic pressures.
The collaboration between the Secretary-General and the Chair signals an intent to move beyond symbolic declarations and toward measurable outcomes.
Some observers will be watching how this translates into programmes and results further down the line, particularly whether new initiatives or funding streams are launched during Malaysia’s chairmanship.
As ASEAN navigates its path toward a resilient, integrated community by 2045, the alignment between the Chair’s agenda and the Secretariat’s resources appears critical.
This meeting may act as a catalyst for enhanced institutional coordination and more visible delivery of ASEAN-wide initiatives in the coming months.
Sources: ASEAN Secretariat News, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Malaysia
