ASEAN Secretary-General and the Committee of Permanent Representatives (CPR) to ASEAN agreed to further strengthen coordination and cooperation between ASEAN Member States and the ASEAN Secretariat in order to effectively implement the goals and objectives of the association, the ASEAN Secretariat said Wednesday.

In his first meeting with the CPR at the ASEAN Secretariat since assuming office on Jan. 9, ASEAN Secretary-General Le Luong Minh said that although ASEAN has made significant achievements in recent years, there remains much to be done.

"There is a need for the ASEAN Secretariat and the ASEAN Member States to improve our coordination, cooperation and communication as well as among the ASEAN sectoral bodies in implementing the three ASEAN Community Blueprints. Time was also of the essence in view of the ASEAN Community 2015 target," he said in the meeting held on Wednesday.

Both the Secretary-General and the CPR also agreed that the central role of ASEAN remains important in ASEAN's agenda. Narrowing the development gap was also highlighted as one of the priorities of ASEAN.

During the meeting, the Secretary-General shared with the CPR his perspectives on the progress and challenges in ASEAN Community building efforts in the ASEAN Political-Security Community (APSC), the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and the ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community (ASCC).

The secretary general and CPR also agreed to hold frequent and regular consultations in order to enhance their coordination and cooperation. The CPR expressed their full support and cooperation to assist the secretary general throughout his tenure.