On 1 July 2013, the second day of the 46^th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and related meetings in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam, Mr. Surapong Tovichakchaikul, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, attended the following ASEAN Post Ministerial Conferences with Dialogue Partners. 

At the ASEAN-Canada Ministerial Conference, The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister expressed his wish for Canada to share its expertise with ASEAN on the issues concerning human security, such as healthcare, disaster management, and food security.  He welcomed Canada’s active participation in the ASEAN Regional Forum, especially in the joint activities on disaster relief, counter-terrorism, transnational crime, and maritime security.  He hoped that ASEAN could learn from Canada’s best practices on effective cross-border management to address the downside of connectivity.  He also encouraged Canada to offer scholarships to ASEAN students, promote educational exchanges with academic institutions in ASEAN, and provide opportunities for ASEAN graduates to intern in Canadian companies.  On energy security, he proposed that ASEAN work together with Canada in the areas of renewable energy and alternative energy, especially clean coal technology and the conversion of waste into biofuels.  He also called for enhanced ASEAN-Canada cooperation on the development of an integrated and more accurate weather forecasting system, in particular through capacity building and the sharing of technological knowledge between national agencies in ASEAN dealing with forest fires and the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Center and the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System.

At the ASEAN-U.S. Ministerial Conference, three areas in which the U.S. could play an active role in ASEAN were highlighted.  First, the U.S. could be a strong partner in the ASEAN Community building process, especially in narrowing development gap by promoting greater and more seamless connectivity in the region.  The U.S. was invited to look into this emerging area of investment opportunities for businesses as ASEAN and its partners are exploring ways to mobilize resources for infrastructure development, possibly by issuing regional infrastructure bonds and establishing other innovative financial platforms.  Second, the U.S. could work closely with ASEAN in tackling the downside of increased connectivity in the region, especially the rise of transnational crimes such as human trafficking and cyber crime.  The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister reaffirmed ASEAN’s determination to enhance cooperation with the U.S. on combating trafficking in persons and enhancing cyber security.  Third, the U.S. could forge a partnership with ASEAN in the areas of disaster preparedness and management to deal with unpredictable weather patterns.  He encouraged greater cooperation between ASEAN Specialized Meteorological Centre and weather related agencies in the region and the U.S. climate-surveillance agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, on climate monitoring, joint research activities and technology transfer program.

 At the ASEAN-ROK Ministerial Conference, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister suggested that ASEAN and the ROK intensify cooperation in such areas as enhancing regional connectivity, promoting sustainable development and green growth, and fully utilizing the ASEAN-ROK Free Trade Agreement to achieve the 150 billion Dollar trade target within 2015.  He also hoped that the ASEAN-Korea Center could help promote trade, investment, and tourism between ASEAN and the ROK.  He also welcomed the recent inaugural meeting between ASEAN Connectivity Coordinating Committee and the Korea’s Task Force on ASEAN Connectivity in June 2013 in Balikpapan, Indonesia.

At the ASEAN-New Zealand Ministerial Conference, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister suggested that ASEAN and New Zealand build upon the existing FTAs in the region to promote wider integration through expediting negotiation towards an early conclusion of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.  He stressed that connectivity is not only about hardware, but also about harmonization of regulations and bringing people together.  He expressed his appreciation to New Zealand for supporting ASEAN’s efforts to reduce impediments to business, lower costs, and enhance trade and investment in the region.  He also encouraged New Zealand to lend priority to capacity building projects to help improve confidence in educational and vocational standards in ASEAN.  On energy security, he urged New Zealand to share with ASEAN its technology and innovative policies on renewable energy.  New Zealand was asked to help ASEAN raise quality of food production to meet food safety and sanitary as well as phytosanitary standards.  New Zealand could also share with ASEAN its expertise in environmental protection and rural firefighting.

At the ASEAN-EU Ministerial Conference, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister encouraged the EU to play a more proactive role in strategic and security issues in the ASEAN-EU framework and the ASEAN Regional Forum, especially in such areas as intra-regional conflict management, networking among security authorities, combating transnational crimes, border management, and disaster management.  He expressed his appreciation for the EU’s continued support for ASEAN economic integration and asked the EU to help ASEAN in terms of capacity building in trade related matters such as intellectual property rights, food safety, industrial standards, and regional connectivity.  He looked forward to further strengthening ASEAN-EU cooperation in science, technology and innovation to address issues of common concerns such as health, food security, energy security, and water management.  He also urged the EU to explore possible cooperation with ASEAN to develop an integrated and more accurate weather forecasting system.  He also welcomed cooperation between ASEAN and the EU in the promotion and protection of human rights through the sharing of best practices, which would help increase the capacity of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights, especially in promoting human rights education and raising public awareness on human rights.

After the conclusion of the ASEAN Post Ministerial Conferences, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister joined other ASEAN Ministers in signing the ASEAN Instrument of Accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia with the Foreign Minister of Norway, making Norway the 32^nd signatory to the Treaty.