“The International Labour Organisation (ILO) director-general Gilbert F. Houngbo, and the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) president Gianni Infantino, will also be present in a special ASEAN session,” he said during Ministers' Question Time at the Dewan Rakyat today.

He was responding to a question from Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari (PH-Gombak), who wanted to know the list of heads of state and leaders of international organisations attending the 47th ASEAN Summit, as well as the key achievements under Malaysia’s ASEAN Chairmanship and the extent to which the government’s final preparations would ensure the smooth implementation of the entire programme.

ASEAN comprises 10 member states, namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Yesterday, Anwar confirmed that Myanmar’s acting President Senior General Min Aung Hlaing will not be attending the summit.

Commenting on the level of preparations, the Prime Minister said meticulous arrangements are being undertaken by tens of thousands of personnel from various agencies, including the Foreign Ministry, Investment, Trade and Industry Ministry, Prime Minister’s Department, Royal Malaysia Police, Immigration Department, and Royal Malaysian Customs Department.

“I would like to take this opportunity to express my highest appreciation to all personnel who have worked tirelessly to complete the preparations and ensure that the summit runs smoothly, projecting the best image of Malaysia,” he said.

Meanwhile, Anwar said Timor-Leste’s participation was the result of Malaysia’s continuous efforts to support the country’s entry as a full member of ASEAN.

“Timor-Leste was formerly part of Indonesia, so geopolitically it has always been within the ASEAN region, even though it is now an independent nation. Malaysia played a key role in supporting its official participation, ” said Anwar.

He added that the outcome of the summit would reflect the continuation of ASEAN’s collective efforts and the initiatives of Malaysian ministries, particularly in strengthening intra-ASEAN trade and promoting the use of local currencies under the Chiang Mai Initiative.

The Finance Minister said ASEAN’s economic cooperation is being further enhanced through several new agreements, particularly in the digital and energy sectors, alongside efforts to expand cross-border collaboration among member countries.

“In the energy sector, we have successfully concluded agreements between Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia and Singapore, including power connectivity projects linking Sarawak to Indonesia and Sabah to the southern Philippines,” he said.

Touching on the choice of venue, Anwar explained that the decision to hold the summit in Kuala Lumpur instead of Putrajaya was made due to logistical and security considerations.

Drawing from his experience in organising the ASEAN-Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Summit previously held in the capital, he expressed confidence that Malaysia is fully capable of fulfilling its responsibilities to the highest standard.

-- BERNAMA