ASEAN Leaders to Attend ASEAN-US Summit in US

BANGKOK, Feb 14 (TNA) - Government leaders of the 10 member countries of ASEAN Community (AC) have accepted an invitation extended by US President Barack Obama to attend a two-day ASEAN-US Leaders’ Summit to be held in Sunnylands, Rancho Mirage, California on 15-16 February 2016, said a Thai deputy spokesman of the Prime Minister’s Office. Deputy Spokesman Major General Veerachon Sukhontapatipak said that the official Summit, starting Monday, will mark the first meeting between ASEAN and the US government leaders in the United States although relations between the regional grouping and the US have been cherished almost 40 years. The upcoming Summit will also be held after the implementation of ASEAN Community on December 31, 2015, said Maj. Gen. Veerachon. Major issues to be discussed at the Summit include strategic directions in Southeast Asia while Malaysia is expected to report progress on an establishment of a centre opposing an extreme culture at the regional level, said Maj. Gen. Veerachon. On economic cooperation, ASEAN and the US leaders are expected to confer on ways to encourage new business players so that the entrepreneurs would use innovative technology and the US businessmen could extend necessary assistance later, he said. The upcoming Summit will also assist the American people to better understand the AC and the need to cooperate more between ASEAN and the US government to fight against new forms of danger, he added. (TNA)