On 3 September 2010, the Permanent Mission of Thailand to ASEAN in cooperation with the Department of ASEAN Affairs had hosted a seminar on the development of ASEAN projects for Thai agencies, organizations and institutions which have working relations with ASEAN or whose line of work is ASEAN related. The seminar had attracted a very positive response, with more than 60 representatives from more than 30 Thai government agencies and civil society organizations attending the seminar.
The two main objectives of this seminar were (1) to disseminate information about ASEAN after the entry into force of the ASEAN Charter which had a transformative effect on the structure, role and mode of operation of the ASEAN Secretariat and ASEAN related work at the national level, (2) to inform Thai agencies about the submission of cooperation projects and the request for financial support from the various ASEAN funds. These ASEAN cooperation projects will in concrete terms enhance ASEAN integration and the realisation of the establishment of an ASEAN Community by 2015.
To further enrich the seminar, Mr. Manasvi Srisodapol, Ambassador Permanent Representative of Thailand to ASEAN, had invited Mr. Takio Yamada, Ambassador of Japan to ASEAN, and Mr. Jan-Willem Blankert, Special Adviser ASEAN, Delegation of the European Union in Jakarta, to be guest speakers on the trajectory of relationship development, between ASEAN and its Dialogue Partners, from the perspective of the two Dialogue Partners. Also invited to give talk at the seminar were Senior Officers from the ASEAN Secretariat. Among the issues covered was the submission of cooperation projects and the request for financial support, which would help push forward the ASEAN sectoral cooperations which are important to Thailand such as sectoral cooperation between ASEAN and its Dialogue Partners. The Permanent Mission of Thailand to ASEAN and the Department of ASEAN Affairs hoped that this seminar would help the participants to learn and understand more about ASEAN and benefit from various ASEAN mechanisms.
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