On 15 August 2014, Mr. Songsak Saicheua, Director-General of Department of American and South Pacific Affairs briefed the press on the 15^th Senior Officials Meeting of the Forum for East Asia  Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC) and related activities, to be held in Thailand on  19 - 22 August 2014. Detail as follow.

On the fifteenth anniversary of the establishment of the Forum for East Asia - Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC), Thailand, as the current East Asia Coordinator of FEALAC, will   host the fifteenth FEALAC Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) as well as the four Working Groups Meetings and side events on 19 - 22 August 2014 at the Bangkok Convention Centre at CentralWorld, Bangkok. 

With 36 countries from East Asia and Latin America as members, FEALAC represents 39% of the world population, 33% of world trade and 33% of the World GDP. Since 2000, trade between East Asia and Latin America has grown at an annual average rate of 20.5%, reaching 500 billion US dollars. Two-way investment has risen to more than 20 billion US dollars.

The 15^th FEALAC SOM will be co-chaired by Mr. Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand and Mr. Alejandro Solano Ortiz, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Costa Rica. Three side events will be organized on 20 August 2014 with the intention to promote collaboration, networking and, connectivity within FEALAC : Tourism Seminar, FEALAC Business Forum and Academic/STI Roundtable. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand will also organize the FEALAC Showcase which consists of mini exhibition and promotional booths of FELAC member countries at Eden 1 hall of the CentralWorld Shopping Complex during 19 - 21 August 2014.  

The outcome of the 15^th  FEALAC SOM will include a set of systematic stock-taking and recommendations to move FEALAC forward which will be actively implemented and submitted to the SOM and the Foreign Ministers Meeting next year in Costa Rica. As a result of the Bangkok meetings and side events, more iconic FEALAC-wide or FEALAC regional projects will be invigorated, improvement of coordination and work process will be deliberated and applied, and networks of private sectors and universities will be materialized and strengthened.