Ambassador H.E. Mr. Soe Lynn Han chairs the third ABC meeting under Myanmar’s Chairmanship and hands over the Chairmanship to the Ambassador of the Philippines on 19 December 2019

Ambassador of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar to the EU, H.E. Mr. Soe Lynn Han, chaired the third and last ASEAN Brussels Committee (ABC) Meeting under Myanmar’s chairmanship (July-December 2019) in the morning of 19 December 2019 at the Tangla Hotel in Brussels, Belgium. Present at the meeting were the Ambassadors and Officials from the Embassies/Missions of ASEAN Member States based in Brussels.

At the outset, part of his opening remarks, Ambassador H.E. Mr. Soe Lynn Han briefed the meeting of the current status of the case between Myanmar and Gambia before the ICJ and possible way forward reflecting the visit of the State Counsellor H.E. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to the Netherlands. Then, the meeting, according to the Agenda, mainly addressed salient issues between ASEAN and EU as a whole and also significant bilateral issues between ASEAN Member States and the EU, including outcomes of the 35^th ASEAN Summit and related meetings under auspices of Thailand’s Chairmanship; preparatory works for upcoming ASEAN-EU SOM Meeting in Brussels in early 2020; advance Information on upcoming ASEAN Chairmanship under auspices of Vietnam; preparation for upcoming ASEM Summit hosted by Cambodia in November 2020; updates on some climatic and environmental issues against the backdrop of the new European Commission’s aspiration envisaged in the European Green Deal and carbon-neutral Europe in 2050; current state of play of negotiations and ratification processes for bilateral Free Trade Agreement, Comprehensive Partnership Agreement, and Investment Protection Agreement between some ASEAN Member States such as Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand and the EU; ABC’s future engagement plan with universities and higher academic institutions in Belgium; and plans to organize an ASEAN Day Event with the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in early March 2020. The meeting was followed by the Handing-Over Ceremony of the ABC Chairmanship from the Myanmar Embassy/Mission to the Embassy/Mission of the Philippines, and a business luncheon at the Tangla Hotel.