Commenting on Thailand’s decision to postpone the 14th ASEAN Summit, Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dr Surin Pitsuwan, said, “This was not an easy decision to make and I thank Thailand for weighing carefully all the factors before deciding to postpone the Summit.  I appreciate very much the consideration Thailand has given to the ASEAN Member States’ concerns.”

Dr Surin added, “The postponement of the Summit should not distract us or detract from what we in ASEAN are doing for the well-being, livelihood and welfare of the peoples in this region.”

“I will be exploring ways and means of minimising the adverse impact on the works of ASEAN. Some initiatives and projects in the pipeline by certain ministerial bodies will be given due consideration to proceed without having to wait for the Summit. In this connection, I am looking forward to consulting with ASEAN Foreign Ministers in the coming days,” Dr Surin said.

Thailand has said it will postpone the 14th ASEAN Summit to a date to be fixed later after consultations with ASEAN Member States.