Myanmar hosts the 23rd ASEAN Directors-General of Immigration Departments and Heads of Consular Affairs Divisions of Ministries of Foreign Affairs Meeting (DGICM) and its related meetings, with an opening ceremony held at Hilton Hotel in Nay Pyi Taw on Tuesday morning.

The opening ceremony was attended by Permanent Secretary U Aye Lwin of Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population, its Director-General U Htay Hlaing, officials from Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs, senior officers form the Asean Secretariat and Asean member countries and the dignitaries. 

The consular officials and immigration officers of ASEAN member countries hold the DGICM annually to share information, reports on immigration, border management, maintaining cooperation and better relations. 

Permanent Secretary U Aye Lwin made an opening speech, saying that the three pillars of ASEAN have reinforced political harmony, economic integration and social responsibility of the bloc for the emergence of a public-centered community.

He added that the negotiations and the collective will of the nations have bound the Southeast Asian countries together and could gained trusts for other countries, leading to a strategic relation with dialogue partners.

While ASEAN is emphasizing on stronger economic cooperation to realize the ASEAN Economic Community Blueprint 2025 and the Sustainable Development Goals 2030. 

The 34th ASEAN Summit reaffirmed the key role of the bloc in establishing ASEAN community. The leaders of member countries also announced their expectations on ‘Advancing Partnership for Sustainability’. 

Myanmar has hoped the 23rd DGICM would create opportunities for cooperation and coordination, strengthen effective development and close cooperation and turn out abundant benefits from the dialogue. 

After the speech, the senior officers of ASEAN member countries posed for documentary photos. 
YBhg Dato Mohd Zulfikar Bin Ahmad, the leader of representatives from Malaysia that took the role of chairmanship for 22nd DGICM, handed over its role to Director-General of Immigration Department U Htay Hlaing for the 23rd chairmanship country. 

The 23rd DGICM is held together with its related meetings of the 3rd ASEAN Heads of Major Immigration Checkpoints Forum (AMICF) and the 14th ASEAN Immigration Intelligence Forum (AIIF) on 19th August and the 14th DGICM + Australia Consultation.—MNA

(Translated by Aung Khin)