On 30 September 2013, Mr. Surapong Tovichakchaikul, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, attended the 12th Annual Ministerial Meeting of the Group of Landlocked Developing Countries (LLDCs), held in New York on the sidelines of the 68th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister thanked the Government of Lao PDR for inviting him to speak at the meeting.  He reaffirmed Thailand’s commitment to helping the international community respond to the needs of LLDCs.  He stated that Thailand had been promoting regional connectivity through ASEAN and other sub-regional initiatives, and could serve as a convenient and effective hub for multi-modal transport and logistics links, especially seaports.  He also offered to share Thailand’s knowledge and experience as well as best practices in such areas as agriculture, public health, drug control, and tourism, in order to help the development process of LLDCs.

Mr. Surapong urged other development partners to ensure an adequate flow of assistance to LLDCs and proposed that the needs of LLDCs be given special emphasis in the post-2015 Development Agenda.