Director General of the Thai Foreign Ministry’s Departmentof ASEAN Affairs Suriya Chindawongse said leaders of 10 ASEAN member stateswill gather in Bangkok for the regional event.
There will be a focus on building a people-centred ASEANCommunity "that leaves no one behind and looks to the future", he said,adding that working towards a digital, green and seamlessly connected regionwill be at the centre of talks, as well as the promotion of ASEAN centralitywithin the context of the regional architecture.
According to Suriya, the expected outcome of the summit willbe a declaration of the leaders' vision for sustainability along with anoperational plan to resolve the problems of maritime pollution, and thedrafting of a framework of ideas regarding the Indo-Pacific concept.
Auramon Supthaweethum, Director General of the Thai Ministryof Commerce’s Trade Negotiations Department, said ASEAN leaders agreed toconclude negotiations on Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)late this year.
Even if an agreement can not be reached, there are positivesigns of progress in the talks, she said.
The next ASEAN Summit will be held in November. Leaders fromother countries will be invited to related meetings, including the ASEANRegional Forum on political and security issues.-VNA