Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Chairs Meeting of ASEAN FMs in New York

On 29 September 2008 on the sidelines of the 63rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sompong Amornvivat, in his capacity as the Chairman of ASEAN, chaired the Informal ASEAN Ministerial Meeting (IAMM).

As the ASEAN Chair, the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister briefed his ministerial colleagues about Thailand’s preparations for the 14th ASEAN Summit and related summits, including the 3rd ASEAN-UN Summit, to be held in Bangkok during 13 - 18 December 2008.  He also informed them that the Thai Parliament has given their approval to an enabling legislation on the ASEAN Charter, which would pave the way for Thailand to submit the instrument of ratification in the near future.

The Meeting also discussed the restructuring of the ASEAN Secretariat, which has been necessitated by the expected increasing demands of the newly structured ASEAN and the ASEAN Community building efforts.  Though the meeting agreed in principle to the new ASEAN Secretariat Organizational Chart, in Thailand’s case, the final decision will be made once the Government makes its policy statement to Parliament.

As requested by the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting in Singapore in July 2008, Thailand and Cambodia also updated the Meeting about their efforts to resolve the situation in the border area adjacent to the Temple of Phra Viharn.  In his capacity as the Head of the Thai delegation, the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister said that good progress has been made through existing bilateral mechanisms.  Two Foreign Ministers’ level meetings had already been held, resulting in the first-phase redeployment of troops from the area as part of a mutual confidence building measure agreed upon.  On 13 October 2008, Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawasdi will meet with Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen, during which both leaders were expected to reaffirm their efforts to address outstanding issues through bilateral means, namely, through meetings between military official of both sides, of the Joint Boundary Commission or JBC and of their Foreign Ministers.

Prior to the IAMM, Turkish Foreign Minister Ali Babacan also called on the Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister, in his capacity as the ASEAN Chair, to receive the Turkey’s formal letter of intent expressing interest in acceding to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia or TAC.

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