ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting to Promote Cooperation on Many Issues

Thailand is preparing to use the foreign ministers' forum to continue sustainable development, pushing for a green economy and a digital economy. If successful, the digital economy in the region will double. This is the first stage of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting, in which Mr. Maris Sangiampong, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, has had the opportunity to meet with fellow ASEAN Foreign Ministers, who will discuss progress in various joint actions within the ASEAN framework and exchange information on providing humanitarian assistance to Myanmar. At the same time, he will also meet with 11 Dialogue Partners, including the UK, the US, the EU, China, South Korea, and Japan, who will push forward issues that Thailand prioritizes, such as sustainable development, the green economy, and the ASEAN Digital Economy Cooperation Framework. Mrs. Pantipa Iamsutha Ekarohita, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Thailand to ASEAN, revealed that negotiations on the digital economy have already begun. The goal is to complete the negotiations by the end of next year and hopes to use this forum to push forward. If an agreement is reached, it will be the world's first regional digital cooperation agreement and will double the digital economy in the region. The first forum in Laos was the ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting with the Southeast Asia Nuclear Weapon-Free Zone Commission, where the meeting welcomed new ministers. In this forum, Thailand supported the establishment of a nuclear weapons-free zone in all regions. It also held a meeting with representatives of the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights, which followed up on the promotion and protection of human rights in ASEAN. It also took this opportunity to hold bilateral discussions with the Indonesian Foreign Minister and the ASEAN Secretary-General on the framework of cooperation between each other, including peace in the region. Source: Thai News Agency