On 25 November 2013, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand Surapong Tovichakchaikul attended the 12th Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) Ministerial Meeting in Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain. The Meeting was chaired by Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmed Bin Mohamed Al Khalifa, Foreign Minister of Bahrain, and attended by 33 foreign ministers and other heads of delegation from ACD Member States.

The theme of the Meeting, Promoting Intra-Asian Tourism, was to support the development of tourism infrastructure, economic growth, and enhance people-to-people contact in Asia.  The Meeting agreed to set up an Asian Tourism City award, an annual title to be granted to selected cities of ACD Member States that have tourism potential.

The Ministers adopted the ACD Energy Plan of Action, a framework for ACD energy cooperation for 2013 – 2017, which includes areas of conventional and non-conventional energy resources, energy efficiency and conservation, regional energy infrastructure and trade and investment.

Mr. Surapong invited Member States to an ACD Ministerial Meeting on Regional Connectivity to be held in Thailand in 2014 to draw up an ACD Connectivity Road Map to forge Pan-Asian Connectivity in all its modes and forms. 

He also encouraged more cooperation in the areas of food and energy security, as well as trade and investment liberalization and facilitation.  He called for early implementation of an ACD Early Warning Centre Coordination Network, which was warmly received by other Member States.

As ACD Coordinator, he also suggested ways forward for a revitalized ACD, including the establishment of a USD 2 billion ACD Development Fund and an ACD Permanent Secretariat.

The 12th ACD Ministerial Meeting is the first event after the establishment of the ACD Provisional Secretariat in Kuwait City on 16 November 2013.

The next ACD Ministerial Meeting will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2014. In March 2015 Thailand will host the 2nd ACD Summit, followed by the 14th ACD Ministerial Meeting.