25 September 2010 - On September 24 in New York, President Benigno S. Aquino III, together with the Presidents of Vietnam and the United States, led discussions among leaders of the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the U.S. towards a more focused, results-oriented and strategic direction.

President Aquino, who is in New York with over 140 world leaders to attend the 65^th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and special high-level meetings on the Millennium Development Goals, played an active role in the ASEAN-U.S. Leaders Meeting.

The ASEAN-U.S. meeting was opened and co-chaired by Vietnamese President Nguyen Minh Triet, as current chair of ASEAN, and U.S. President Barack Obama.  President Aquino, as country coordinator, spoke after the two co-chairs to lead off the two-hour dialogue.

"As Country Coordinator for ASEAN-US relations, the Philippines is committed to expanding the frontiers of our partnership," President Aquino said in his statement.

As country coordinator for 2009-2012, the Philippines is tasked to broaden and expand areas of cooperation between the countries of Southeast Asia and the United States.

It has taken the lead in crafting the next five-year Plan of Action to Implement ASEAN-US Enhanced Partnership (2011-2015), which will be a comprehensive and living document, responsive to changing international and regional priorities.

"This should complement the elevation of our partnership into a strategic one," President Aquino said.

During the meeting, President Aquino raised a number of regional and international issues of vital concern to the Philippines.  He also pushed for strengthened ASEAN-U.S. cooperation in fighting the scourge of international terrorism, enhancing maritime security, and addressing the adverse impact of climate change.

The first ASEAN-U.S. Leaders Meeting was held in Singapore in November 2009 where all parties agreed to work closely to address regional security, environmental, as well as developmental issues.  END