Asean Secretary General Dr. Surin Pitsuwan said that Asean-US relations are gaining momentum with increased engagements on both sides.
He told The Nation Thursday morning in Bangkok that President Barack Obama has invited the Asean leaders to meet in a "special" venue in New York on 24 September 2010.
"The US recognizes the big shift from the West to the East after the global financial crisis," he said. "Indeed, Obama supports the Asean centrality because Asean can play a modulating role in the emerging strategic landscape in East Asia."
Surin, who is attending a special intersessional meeting here on disastrous management, said that the summit will last 120 minutes, 30 minutes more than the previous one held in Singapore last November. Intersessional meeting is an expert meeting under the region-wide security group, Asean Regional Forum.
The invitation, according to Surin, has been well received in the Asean capitals. "So far, most of the Asean leaders are positive," he said. The Asean-US leaders' meeting has now become an annual event.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has confirmed that he would be in New York for the meeting. He is traveling extensively throughout the third week of September. He will visit Brussels, New York and Germany. He will also address the UN General Assembly. This weekend, he is pay a brief visit to Shanghai, China.