On 6-8 September 2016 H.E. General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Prime Minister of Thailand and H.E. Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, will attend the 28^th -29^th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in Vientiane, Lao PDR.

The ASEAN Summit this year is the first to be held after the launch of the ASEAN Community on 31 December 2015. The theme under Lao PDR’s Chairmanship is “Turning Vision into Reality for a Dynamic ASEAN Community”, with 8 priority areas including 1) Implementation of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025; 2) Narrowing the Development Gap; 3) Trade Facilitation; 4) Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) Development; 5) Tourism Development; 6) Connectivity; 7) Decent Work Promotion: Transition to Formal Economy in ASEAN; and 8) Enhancement of Regional Cooperation for the Preservation, Protection and Promotion of ASEAN Cultural Heritage.

Apart from the ASEAN Summits, ASEAN leaders will also have meetings with Leaders of Dialogue Partner countries and the United Nations Secretary-General. There will be  Summits with China (the 19th ASEAN-China Summit to Commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the ASEAN-China Dialogue Relations), Japan, Republic of Korea, Australia, United States, India and the United Nations, as well as the ASEAN Plus Three Summit and the East Asia Summit (EAS). Furthermore, the Chair will arrange interface meetings between ASEAN leaders and representatives from the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, Youth, and ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC).

During the Summits, ASEAN Leaders will discuss ways and means to build an ASEAN Community that is resilient and sustainable where everyone forges ahead together leaving   no one behind for the benefit of the Community. They will also exchange views on how to strengthen ASEAN unity and maintain ASEAN centrality in the regional architecture, as well as regional and international issues of common concern and interest, such as transboundary haze, climate change, natural disasters, transnational crime, and ASEAN’s external relations.

The ASEAN Leaders will sign the “ASEAN Declaration on One ASEAN, One Response: ASEAN Responding to Disasters as One in the Region and Outside the Region”. They will also adopt 20 documents, including the “Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) Work Plan III” and “Master Plan on ASEAN Connectivity 2025” which are integral parts of the ASEAN Community Vision 2025.  

Prior to the ASEAN Summits, the Foreign Minister will attend the 14^th ASEAN Political-Security Community Council Meeting and the 18^th ASEAN Coordinating Council Meeting. He HGHe fffwill also sign the Instrument of Extension of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC) to approve the addition of 4 High Contracting Parties including Iran, Morocco, Egypt, and Chile. This is part of the Statement on the Occasion of the 40^th Anniversary of the TAC, which was initiated by Thailand and endorsed by the ASEAN Foreign Ministers during the 49^th ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in July 2016.