On 11th May 2014, Mr. Phongthep Thepkanjana, Deputy Prime Minister, as Special Envoy of the Acting Prime Minister, attended the 24th ASEAN Summit under the theme “Moving Forward in Unity to a Peaceful and Prosperous Community” in Nay Pyi Taw, Republic of the Union of Myanmar.

The 24th ASEAN Summit provided an opportunity for ASEAN Leaders to review progress in ASEAN Community building efforts and identify priority issues that need to be expedited, as well as set future directions of ASEAN in the context of setting the ASEAN Community’s Post-2015 Vision. The Leaders also exchanged views on important regional and international issues.

On Thailand’s part,  Deputy Prime Minister Phongthep congratulated Myanmar for assuming the Chairmanship of ASEAN this year which comes at a critical time before realization of the ASEAN Community next year. He also stressed the importance on the innovative ways to strengthen the ASEAN Secretariat as well as the need to expedite the implementation of the Blueprints, and to implement the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity through public-private partnership and funds for infrastructure projects. As ASEAN is heading towards realization of the ASEAN Community and working on the post-2015 vision, Thailand underlined the importance of ASEAN focusing more on people-centered issues such as human development, human rights, equality, social justice and welfare, universal health care and education.

At the conclusion of the Summit, the Leaders adopted the Nay Pyi Taw Declaration on Realization of the ASEAN Community by 2015 as well as took note of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Statement on the Current Developments in the South China Sea.

With a view to promoting participation by all sectors of the societyto build a people-centered ASEAN Community, the ASEAN Leaders also met with representatives of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) and Youths.