Thailand to Host ASEAN Economic Ministers' Meeting

Economic ministers of member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will gather in Thailand again in October to attend the 32nd ASEAN Economic Ministers' Meeting, to be held in the northern resort province of Chiang Mai, the Thai News Agency (TNA) said on Thursday.

Issues concerning conditions under the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) agreement, a draft pact on electronic commerce (e-commerce) in the ASEAN, and a proposed free trade agreement between ASEAN and Australia and New Zealand would be key agenda of the 32nd AEM Meeting, to be held between October 2 and 7, said the report.

Ideas and decisions of the four-day AEM meeting will then be further considered at the next informal ASEAN summit, to be held in November.

Representatives of the European Commission will also attend the AEM meeting for the first time. Issues of ways to strengthen and expand ties and cooperation in bilateral trade and investment, as well as ways to eliminate trade barriers between the two trade blocks would be top of the agenda, the report noted.

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