Locsin to raise SCS, equitable vax access in Asean meet

MANILA – Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. will raise the country’s priorities, including the South China Sea issue and equitable access to vaccines, in the upcoming Asean meeting next month, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Thursday.

Locsin will participate in the 54th Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) and Related Meetings to be held virtually from August 2 to 6.

In the meetings, Southeast Asian foreign ministers are expected to discuss their respective pandemic response and recovery and other international and regional issues.

“Secretary Locsin will raise Philippine priorities in Asean such as equitable access to vaccines, pandemic recovery, and the South China Sea issue, among others, in these Foreign Minister-level meetings,” the DFA said.

Apart from the 54th AMM, the other foreign minister-level meetings are Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting Interface with Asean Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights Representatives, Meeting of the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone Commission, 23rd Asean Political-Security Community Council Meeting, 29th Asean Coordinating Council Meeting, Post Ministerial Conferences with Dialogue Partners, 22nd Asean Plus Three Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, 11th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and 28th Asean Regional Forum.