KUCHING: Malaysia reaffirmed its firm commitment to driving regional energy cooperation with a focus on inclusivity and sustainability, as it chaired the 43rd Senior Officials Meeting on Energy (SOME) held here today.

Energy Transition and Water Transformation Ministry secretary-general Datuk Mad Zaidi Mohd Karli, stated that the theme for Malaysia's energy sector engagements, "Powering Asean: Bridging Boundaries, Building Prosperity," reflects the broader vision of Malaysia's Asean Chairmanship.

"This theme is important to emphasise the need for energy and dynamism in driving the region's development to propel ASEAN forward. 

"It also reflects the ultimate goal of Asean integration, which is to improve the lives of its citizens by promoting economic growth, creating jobs and focusing on inclusivity and sustainability that will benefit all segments of society," he said in his opening remarks at the meeting. 

Featured Videos

He also expressed confidence that today's discussions would deliver tangible progress aligned with Malaysia's Priority Economic Deliverables and Asean's 2025 priorities, particularly on key initiatives such as the Asean Power Grid Memorandum of Understanding and the Terms of Reference for the Subsea Power Cable Development Framework.

"These collaborative efforts will certainly lay the groundwork for the 43rd Asean Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM), which will be hosted in Kuala Lumpur," he added.

The 43rd Asean-SOME and its associated meetings began today and will run until June 18, drawing around 250 delegates, including senior energy officials and representatives from the Asean Secretariat and the Asean Centre for Energy.

All 10 Asean member states, namely Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, are participating, with Timor-Leste attending as an observer.

They are joined by dialogue partners China, South Korea, Japan, Russia and the United States, along with representatives from the International Renewable Energy Agency, International Energy Agency, Economic Research Institute for Asean and East Asia, Asian Development Bank and the World Bank.