On 15 August 2014, Mr. Arthayudh Srisamoot, Director-General of the Department of ASEAN Affairs gave a Diplomatic Corps Briefing on the Outcomes of the 47th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and Related Meetings at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The 47th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) was held on 8 – 10 August 2014 in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar. Apart from the AMM, ASEAN Foreign Ministers also met in their capacity of the SEANWFZ Commission and had an interface with the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR). As customary practice, the AMM also met with each Dialogue Partner at the Post Ministerial Conferences (PMC) and attended the 4th East Asia Summit (EAS) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and the 21st ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). Key issues that were raised and discussed at the meetings are as follows:

Human Rights
The ASEAN Foreign Ministers expressed hope in their meeting with the AICHR that the AICHR would soon submit its self-assessment report and recommendations, so that a decision could be made on the review process of the ToR of AICHR. Thailand supports the review of the AICHR’s ToR to strengthen the AICHR’s mandate on both promotion and protection aspects.
The ASEAN Foreign Ministers also welcomed the AICHR’s engagement with the CSOs. In this regard, Thailand hosted the Bangkok Regional Consultation on the Review of the AICHR’s ToR last June and will host an AICHR Workshop on UPR Process in September. Representatives of CSOs in ASEAN Member States, as well as from UN agencies, are also invited to attend these two forums

Southeast Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free-Zone (SEANWFZ)
In order to help expedite the process of the signing of the Protocol to the SEANWFZ Treaty, the SEANWFZ Commission agreed that Myanmar, as Chair of ASEAN, would send a list of questions to the P4 countries to seek clarifications on their reservations on the SEANWFZ Protocol, as well as the P4’s Joint Statement to be made at the signing of the Protocol. The SEANWFZ Commission also agreed to continue to engage with the NWS to enable the signing of the SEANWFZ as soon as possible.

Economic and Trade Issues
ASEAN Foreign Ministers discussed economic and trade issues with some FTA partners. ASEAN and China had agreed to upgrade the ASEAN-China FTA. The first round of negotiations will be commenced next month in the framework of ASEAN Senior Economic Officials’ Meeting (SEOM) with China. The signing of the ASEAN-India Trade in Services and Investment FTA Agreement will be held at the upcoming ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting in August 2014 in Nay Pyi Taw. The ASEAN-ROK Business Council will be launched at the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit to be held in December 2014 in Busan.

Connectivity
Connectivity both within and beyond ASEAN was one of the key issues discussed at the meetings.  ASEAN welcomed the interest of several Dialogue Partners in supporting the implementation of the Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity, as well as enhancing the capacity of ASEAN in addressing the negative impact of connectivity.

To enhance connectivity in the region, Thailand supports China’s proposal on the establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to help mobilize financial resources for infrastructure projects in the region. In this regard, Thailand is pleased to be one of the founding members of the AIIB.  Moreover, ASEAN and India agreed to expedite the development of Thailand-Myanmar-India Trilateral Highway, and its extension to Laos and Cambodia, as well as the Mekong-India Economic Corridor.

ASEAN also welcomed cooperation in connectivity with the EU and would like to learn from the EU’s experience in managing cross-border issues and tackling trans-boundary and transnational challenges that may arise from better-connected region such as transnational crimes, drugs trafficking, trafficking in persons, people smuggling and migration.  

ASEAN Centrality and Regional Architecture
ASEAN Foreign Ministers stressed the need for ASEAN to maintain its unity, cohesiveness and centrality, so that ASEAN can maintain its relevance in the current regional strategic landscape. In this regard, Thailand has put forward a paper on some ideas on ways and means to enhance ASEAN centrality in the evolving regional architecture. This paper aims to provide some “food for thought” for further discussion on this matter and, hopefully, would lead to some concrete actions.

Thailand will also host a Regional Conference on “The Future of Security in the Asia-Pacific: Emerging Challenges, Promoting Conflict Management and Enhancing Cooperation in Maritime Areas” on 25-26 August in Bangkok. The Conference is meant to explore the future direction of the evolving regional architecture, how to address trust deficit and manage conflict, and how to overcome maritime challenges in the Asia-Pacific. 

Regional and International Issues
At the AMM, ASEAN Foreign Ministers discussed relations among major powers in the region, especially among China, Japan and RoK and the impact of the state of their relations on ASEAN, especially in the ASEAN+3 framework. They also expressed hope that the Northeast Asian countries will continue their dialogue and improve their relations because this will benefit the security of Southeast Asia as well.

Regional flashpoints were also raised at the meetings, particularly in the frameworks of the EAS Foreign Ministers’ Meeting and the ARF. On the issue of South China Sea, several countries expressed concern over the recent developments in the South China Sea, citing their common interest in regional peace and stability, as well as freedom and safety of navigation. Support was widely expressed for the full and effective implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DoC) by ASEAN and China, as well as the early conclusion of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (CoC).

China has voiced its support for the dual-track approach, which means that disputes are to be settled by parties directly concerned through consultations and negotiations, while ASEAN and China should work to create an environment conducive to dispute settlement through the full and effective implementation of the DoC. ASEAN and China have agreed to explore “early harvest” measures to build confidence and trust, preempt and prevent incidents from recurring to ensure peace and stability in the region. China has also proposed to host a Special ASEAN-China SOM in September.

As country coordinator for ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations, Thailand will continue to play a proactive and constructive role to keep the momentum of dialogue and consultations between ASEAN and China and move forward the CoC process. In this regard, Thailand will host the 8th ASEAN-China SOM on DoC back-to-back with the Joint Working Group on DoC in October 2014.

On the Korean Peninsula, many countries stressed the importance of preserving the security in the Northeast Asia and expressed concern over the situation on the Korean Peninsula, especially with regard to the DPRK’s missile tests, and called for the implementation of relevant UNSC resolutions. Many ARF participants reiterated their support for the resumption of the 6-Party Talks and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The humanitarian situation in the DPRK was also raised.

On the Middle East, several countries expressed concern over the humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip and condemned the disproportionate use of force against the Palestinians, while several others supported the right to self-defense of Israel. In addition, the ARF participants expressed condolences to Malaysia on the tragic downing of Malaysia Airline Flight MH17 and called for a transparent and comprehensive investigation into the incident. In this light, there was also an exchange of views and debate among parties concerned on the situation in Ukraine.

ARF Activities
Thailand will co-chair and co-host 3 ARF activities in 2014-2015. 1) Co-chair with China, the United States, and New Zealand an ARF Training Course on Preventive Diplomacy to be held in China in October 2014; 2) Co-chair with Canada and New Zealand an ARF Workshop on Illicit Drugs in Thailand in February 2015; and 3) Co-Chair with China the ARF Inter-sessional Meeting on Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crimes in China in Spring 2015.

Other Matters
To expand ASEAN’s external relations, the ASEAN Foreign Ministers and the Deputy Foreign Minister of Norway adopted the Joint Statement on ASEAN-Norway Partnership to forge concrete cooperation between ASEAN and Norway in all dimensions. 

Outcome documents
Relevant outcome documents such as the Joint Communique of the 47th AMM and Chairman’s Statements of the Related Meetings are available on the website of the ASEAN Secretariat.