On 3 January 2009, ASEAN Secretary-General Surin Pitsuwan paid a courtesy call on Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Foreign Minister Kasit reiterated Thailand’s readiness to host the upcoming ASEAN Summit, which is very likely to be held in late February. Foreign Minister Kasit and the ASEAN Secretary — General exchanged views on ASEAN and on further cooperative endeavors. Foreign Minister Kasit and the ASEAN Secretary-General also conferred on ASEAN’s role in the international community, particularly cooperation on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief within the UN framework as well as the possibility of joint training of personnel of ASEAN members for future UN Peacekeeping activities.
Other subjects discussed included potential cooperation among ASEAN members on the issues of migrant workers, human trafficking, and assessing the impact of the ASEAN Free Trade Agreement (AFTA) in order to best maximize AFTA’s benefits.
The ASEAN Secretary-General later gave a press interview. Responding to a question concerning the date of the 14th ASEAN Summit and its related meetings, the ASEAN Secretary-General said that Foreign Minister Kasit will propose holding the ASEAN Summit during 27 February -1 March 2009. However, the definite dates still have to be confirmed. Furthermore, Thailand is still awaiting an affirmative response from one dialogue partner.
In response to a question about whether ASEAN countries are concerned over the situation in Thailand, the ASEAN Secretary-General said that ASEAN countries are reassured that the situation in Thailand has returned to normal and hopes that Thailand can fulfill her leadership as the ASEAN Chair.
The ASEAN Secretary-General stressed that Thailand should be given the chance to successfully host the 14th ASEAN Summit and its related meetings, as the upcoming Summit would be the first opportunity for Thailand to signal to the international community that Thailand has returned to normal and is ready to work as ASEAN Chair with ASEAN members, dialogue partners, and international organizations. Furthermore, the ASEAN Secretary-General said that Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva supported the hosting of the ASEAN Global Dialogue with international organizations and viewed that as the first major international gathering after the international community has been affected by the global economic crisis, international attention will be focused on the 14th ASEAN Summit to come up with measures to help alleviate the international financial crisis and other associated economic impacts. In addition, the ASEAN Secretary-General Surin also discussed with Foreign Minister Kasit about the appointment at the earliest of Thailand’s Representative to the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta, as the 10 ASEAN member countries are to nominate their respective representatives within 30 days after the ASEAN Charter entered into force.
Foreign Minister Kasit then gave a separated press interview. In respond to a question about when the proposed dates of the 14th ASEAN Summit and the remaining ASEAN- related documents will be submitted to Parliament, Foreign Minister Kasit said that it is likely to be proposed next week, but still awaits confirmation from the Speaker of Parliament.
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