17th AMRI in Brunei: Myanmar delegation led by MOI UM attended

The opening ceremony of the 17th ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information (17th AMRI) and its related Meetings was held in the morning on May 7 in Bandar Seri Begawan of Brunei Darussalam.

Myanmar delegation led by Union Minister for Information U Maung Maung Ohn attended the meeting which was also graced by His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah Ibni, Crown Prince of Brunei Darussalam and Senior Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, and officials from the Brunei Darussalam government, Ministers of Information, Deputy Ministers, Information Officers and delegations from ASEAN member states and the three dialogue partners, as well as the Deputy Secretary-General of the ASEAN Social and Cultural Community (ASCC), and officials from the ASEAN Secretariat, while members and officials from Timor-Leste attended as observers.

First, the meeting rotating chair, Mr. Pehin Dato Halbi Yussof, Minister-2 of the Ministry of Defence and the Prime Minister’s Office of Brunei Darussalam, and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Senior Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office delivered welcoming remarks, followed by the Deputy Secretary-General of the ASCC, delivering remarks.

Then, a video recording of Brunei's rotating chairmanship of the AMRI was shown. Subsequently, Mr. Le Hai Binh, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam, who served as the rotating chair of the 16th AMRI, delivered a congratulatory speech, while Mr. Neth Pheaktra, Minister of Information of Cambodia, who will serve as the rotating vice-chair of the meeting, delivered a speech.

The theme of this year's meeting is "Media Advancing Joint Understanding: Transforming media's role in advancing cooperation and mutual understanding." The theme of the meeting was discussed and recommended by the Ministers, Deputy Ministers and the Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN from ASEAN member states.

Union Minister U Maung Maung Ohn discussed that in crisis situations such as the Mandalay earthquake, the media plays a crucial role in disseminating accurate and timely information. The effective reporting of news by ASEAN media channels has helped to raise awareness of the needs of the people and has helped to secure international and regional support. As stated in the theme of this year's meeting, joint efforts of the media can promote mutual understanding and tolerance while bridging the differences. He also stressed not only to implement cross-border cooperation in the ASEAN media landscape, but also to work together to bring many benefits to future generations.

The meeting then continued with the review and approval of the reports of the 21st and 22nd ASEAN Senior Officials’ Meeting on Information and Communications (SOMRI), the implementation of the Action Plans on Media and Communications Cooperation between ASEAN and the three dialogue partners, the discussion on the ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information (COCI) Progress Report on Media and Communications, and the adoption of the Bandar Seri Begawan Declaration, the ASEAN Ministers of Information Declaration on the Safe and Responsible Use of Social Media Platforms, and the Joint Statements of the 17th AMRI and Related Meetings.

This was followed by 8th ASEAN and Dialogue Partners' Information Ministers' Meeting (8th AMRI+3), with the attendance of the Ministers of Information and Representatives of ASEAN Member States, Dialogue Partners China and Japan, the Deputy Secretary-General of ASEAN and officials, and a delegation from Timor-Leste attended as an observer.

In the evening, a dinner was hosted in honor of the representatives of ASEAN member states attending the 17th AMRI and related meetings, by the Crown Prince of Brunei Darussalam and the Senior Minister of the Prime Minister's Office.

Prior to the 17th AMRI, the 22nd ASEAN Senior Officials' Meeting on Information was held from May 5 to 6.