Tag: Vientiane

President Duterte accepts ASEAN 2017 chairmanship for the Philippines

  (Eagle News) — President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday (September 8) accepted the Philippine chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit scheduled for next year, 2017, when ASEAN will be celebrating its 50th year. Duterte accepted the symbolical gavel of the ASEAN chairmanship for next year from Laos Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith during the closing ceremony of the ASEAN Summit and handover of the ASEAN chairmanship to the Philippines. ASEAN leaders gathered  in Vientiane for […]

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Duterte meets UN Chief Ban in Laos

(Eagle News)– President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday (September 7) met United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki Moon at the ASEAN summit gala dinner in Vientiane, Laos. A photo of the two leaders shaking hands was distributed by the Palace to members of the media. Duterte has criticized Ban’s remarks for his ongoing campaign on illegal drugs. Duterte also turned down a meeting with the UN Chief due to “scheduling incompatibility”. President Duterte also met […]

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Ahead of summit, Philippines shows images of Chinese boats at disputed shoal

  (REUTERS)  The Philippines’ defense ministry released pictures on Wednesday showing what it said were Chinese boats near a disputed shoal in the South China Sea, just hours before Southeast Asian nations were due to meet China’s premier at a summit in Laos. There was no explanation for the timing of the release, but it came two days after Manila expressed “grave concern” about the increasing number of Chinese vessels around the Scarborough Shoal and […]

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Obama says US is ‘here to stay’ in Asia

VIENTIANE, Laos (AFP) — Barack Obama, on his final visit to Asia as US president, insisted Tuesday renewed American engagement with the region would endure after he left the White House. “America’s interest in the Asia-Pacific is not new. It’s not a passing fad. It reflects fundamental national interests,” he said in a speech in the Lao capital of Vientiane. The US president is making his 11th and last trip to the Asia-Pacific, seeking to […]

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Duterte regrets Obama comments came across as personal attack

  (REUTERS)  The Philippines said on Tuesday that President Rodrigo Duterte regretted comments he made about U.S. President Barack Obama came across as a personal attack and led to the cancellation of a meeting between the leaders of the allied nations. “President Duterte explained that the press reports that President Obama would ‘lecture’ him on extrajudicial killings led to his strong comments, which in turn elicited concern,” the Philippines said in a statement released at […]

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Security is high in Vientiane ahead of regional meeting

  (REUTERS)  Laos is set to welcome world leaders ahead of an annual summit as it increased security on the streets of capital Vientiane on Monday (September 5). The ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asia Nations) and East Asia Summit (EAS) will bring together leaders from the 10-nations regional bloc and their dialogue partners like United States, China, Russia, Japan and Australia to discuss international issues in a three-day meeting. Topics such as South China Sea […]

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China, North Korea envoys hold talks in Laos

VIENTIANE, Laos (AFP) — Top envoys from China and North Korea held talks on Monday on the sidelines of a regional summit in Laos as tensions run high on the Korean peninsula over Pyongyang’s nuclear program. North Korea’s newly minted Foreign Minister Ri Yong-Ho, a former nuclear negotiator for the hermit state, and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi met in the capital Vientiane. It is the first time Ri has attended a major diplomatic gathering […]

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ASEAN Parliament Commits to Stronger Co-op

(Courtesy ASEAN Secretariat News) VIENTIANE, 23 September 2014 – Taking on the theme “Strengthening Parliamentary Cooperation in the ASEAN Community Building,” the 35th General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) was held on 15-19 September in the capital of Lao PDR. It was attended by six Speakers and four Deputy-Speakers of AIPA Member Parliaments, Chairs of Committees of the respective parliaments, and eight Observer Parliaments from Australia, Belarus, People’s Republic of China, India, Japan, Russia, Republic […]

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