AIT President Prof. Said Irandoust earlier this month met with Dr. Surin Pitsuwan, the new Secretary General of ASEAN, discussing ways in which there could be synergies and closer partnerships between AIT and ASEAN under Dr. Surin's new leadership.
Dr. Surin has given very strong assurances of support and encouragement to AIT and its planned activities and initiatives. The two met on two occasions in early January. The first meeting was during a farewell reception hosted by former Prime Minister of Thailand, H.E. Mr. Anand Panyarachun, for Dr. Surin on 4 January 2008. The second meeting was on 9 January.
Reiterating to Secretary General Dr. Surin the institute’s almost 50 years of proven excellence and commitment of service to Thailand and the region, President Irandoust expressed confidence that AIT could further work with ASEAN and serve as an effective capacity building and implementing arm of the regional grouping.
The ASEAN Roundtable on MDGs to be hosted by AIT in March 2008 ─ which will see the establishment of an Asian MDGs Center of Excellence for Education and Training at AIT on some of the Millennium Development Goals ─ is one such initiative.
Dr. Surin kindly offered to consider ways in which ASEAN could also partner, and probably take a lead role in this unique initiative. President Irandoust was most grateful to Dr. Surin for his offer of support in assisting AIT with its new Charter and in further promoting it within ASEAN and other partner countries.