On 7 November 2007, AIT President Said Irandoust along with AIT News and Media Specialist, Mr. Shawn Kelly, met with Mr. S. Roy, Founder, CEO and Editor of the ASEAN Affairs quarterly magazine www.aseanaffairs.com which has just launched its first issue of the magazine. AIT was earlier featured in the online version of the magazine through an interview which Mr. Roy conducted with President Irandoust and he is keen to further explore areas in which there could be win-win partnerships. Mr. Roy plans to use AIT and as a think tank for ASEAN Affairs, and service provider of news and related information on science and technology, as well as on environmental and sustainable development issues, which could be disseminated through the ASEAN Affairs, to the private sector and other news media in the ASEAN region. He also offered to help in promoting interactions through ASEAN Affairs with AIT's academic and institutional partners which would also help further increase the Institute's visibility in the ASEAN region.
AIT President was also invited and attended the inaugural meeting of the ASEAN
Affairs Business Council (AABC), which was held on 9 November at the
residence of AIT trustee H.E. Mr. Ibrahim Yusuf, Ambassador of the Republic
of Indonesia to Thailand. The meeting was attended by several representatives
from the embassies, governments, and the business sector. AIT was the only
academic institution to be invited and on several occasions during the
deliberations Mr. Roy highlighted the importance of AIT in the context of
ASEAN. Former AIT trustee and Ambassador Bangladesh H.E. Mr. Shahed
Akhtar, who serves as the Consulting Editor of ASEAN Affairs was also
present.