Drafting of Asean documents approved by Cabinet, says Prayut

The Cabinet has approved the drafting of 19 documents that will be used in a key Asean meeting at the end of the month, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said today.

The 52nd meeting of Asean foreign ministers, scheduled for July 30-August 3 in Bangkok, will discuss several key issues, including a push for Smart City projects around the region and in many Chinese cities.

The 19 documents relate to several international issues involving Asean, including a 2020–2024 strategic plan for cooperation between the bloc and Australia, the drafting of a speech to be used in an upcoming meeting between Asean and the European Union and a speech for future use in relations with China.

Drafting the documents is essential to make the implementation of future policies more efficient because those relating to non-strategic issues can be altered by the Foreign Ministry without Cabinet approval.