ASEAN Regional Forum FMs hold online meeting

Foreign affairs officials from countries across the globe that share interests in the Asia-Pacific region attended an online meeting on Saturday to discuss regional security.

Opening the ASEAN Regional Forum meeting that Vietnam is hosting via video conference, Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh said the event was taking place against a backdrop of profound and complicated change bringing uncertainty to the region.

Minh addressed the meeting attended by representatives from 27 member countries and organisations including the US, North Korea, Russia and China.

The ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) is considered Asia's largest security forum and a highlight during the annual ASEAN ministerial meetings, where ASEAN foreign ministers and their counterparts from dialogue countries discuss key security issues.

North Korea has been a participant in previous ARF meetings and represented by its Foreign Minister, but this year only its ASEAN representative based in Jakarta participated in the meeting.