ASEAN meetings kick off in Bali Island

Asia's largest security forum has begun in the Indonesian resort island of Bali where 10 members of ASEAN have gathered for a series of meetings in the coming week. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono rang a traditional Balinese gong to launch the annual gathering.

ASEAN partners China, Japan and the Republic of Korea will also attend the meeting. The US, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the European Union are among the other participants. The 44th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting, the Post Ministerial Conference, and the 18th ASEAN Regional Forum will take place between July 19 and 23.

There will also be several bilateral meetings among participant countries on the sidelines of the event. The South China Sea, Thai-Cambodia relations, and nuclear issues in the DPRK are among the issues to be discussed.