On 11 July 2010, Mr. Kasit Piromya, Minister of Foreign Affairs, gave a keynote remark at the dinner hosted for the delegates to the 3rd Meeting of the High Level Task Force on ASEAN Connectivity at the Four Seasons Hotel, Bangkok.
Foreign Minister Kasit commented on the “Community of Connectivity” that was endorsed at the 15th ASEAN Summit where the Leaders agreed to set up the High Level Task Force to draft a Master Plan for ASEAN Connectivity. The idea of “Community of Connectivity”, proposed by the Prime Minister of Thailand almost a year ago in Phuket, aims to create freedom of movement across ASEAN with minimal impediments, where investors, tourists, freight trucks or cargo vessels can freely travel from one corner of ASEAN to another, as well as from other regions into ASEAN and vice versa.
Enhancing connectivity cannot be achieved by ASEAN alone, Foreign Minister Kasit added. ASEAN needs constant support and engagement from its Dialogue Partners and external parties in order to bring this vision to reality by the 17th ASEAN Summit to be held towards the end of this year. He emphasized on the urgent need to materialize the vision of ASEAN Connectivity so that the goal of establishing ASEAN Community can be realized. Such undertaking would require the participation of all ASEAN member countries and its peoples, who are the stakeholders.
For further information, please contact the Press Division, Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tel.02-6435170, Fax.02-6435169, E-mail: div0704@mfa.go.th