High ranking delegation backs from 14th ASEAN Summit

High ranking delegation backs from 14th ASEAN Summit
(KPL) A high ranking delegation of Laos led by Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh arrived here Sunday after ending its attending the 14th ASEAN Summit held from 27 February - 1 March 2009 in Cha-am, Phetchaburi Province, Thailand.
The meeting was held amidst the situation of the world and region has been rapidly changed and communicated, especially the global financial crisis, food and energy security, natural disaster, international crime, terrorism and other issues which need to increases the co-operation between regional countries and the world to solve the common problems.
During the two-day summit, leaders of the ASEAN member states focused their discussions on economic crisis, human rights body, ASEAN integration, and other regional issues.
On economic crisis, ASEAN leaders said that while ASEAN’s economic fundamental remain sound, the deepening global economic downturn, coupled with heightened risk aversion in financial markets, have adversely impacted trade and investment in the region.
The leaders stressed the necessity of proactive and decisive actions to restore market confidence and ensure continued financial stability to promote sustainable regional economic growth.
They also agreed to stand firm against protectionism and to refrain from introducing and raising new barriers.
On ASEAN integration, the leaders signed Cha-am Hua Hin Declaration on the Roadmap for an ASEAN Community (2009-2015), setting out the guidelines for the creation of a single free trade area for the region of 800 million people by 2015.
According to the declaration, the ASEAN leaders emphasized that “narrowing the development gap shall remain an important task to ensure the benefits of ASEAN integration are fully realized through effective implementation of the Initiative for ASEAN Integration and other sub-regional framework.”
A total of 24 ASEAN related documents were signed or adopted by ASEAN leaders, foreign ministers and economic ministers. These documents include, among others, the issues relating to the ASEAN community building, trade and investment, sub-regional economic cooperation, food and petroleum security.
During the meeting, Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh has received a courtesy call on from the ASEAN Secretary-General, Dr. Surin Pitsuwan and was briefed about pilot co-operation project between Laos, ASEAN Secretariat and JICA which is the pilot project for ASEAN Economic, Socio-Cultural Community.
The Summit also opened an opportunity for Laos to continue to disseminate its foreign policy of peace, independence, friendship and co-operation. It also raised Laos’s reputation in regional forums and its standing in the international community.
It also represented an opportunity for Laos to attract assistance and mobilize funds from ASEAN member countries through bilateral mechanism and within the ASEAN cooperative framework to narrow the development gap between member states.
ASEAN consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.