Myanmar appears confident of election as ASEAN chair in 2014

Myanmar's bid to chair ASEAN in 2014 will be decided at the ASEAN Summit in November, Foreign Minister U Wunna Maung Lwin has told the country's state-run media.

"As Myanmar is ready to take the ASEAN chairmanship, the matter has been duly informed to ASEAN. Furthermore, the ASEAN leaders supported Myanmar's proposal to take the ASEAN chairmanship in 2014 at the 18th ASEAN Summit in Jakarta and the decision will be made at the forthcoming 19th ASEAN Summit in November," he said as quoted by Kyaw Hsu Mon.

Shortly after it came to power in late March, the Myanmar's new government announced it was seeking a swap with Laos that would see it host the association in 2014 rather than 2016. The foreign minister has been assigned to lead the Preparation Committee for the ASEAN Summit in 2014, a body featuring 18 members from 18 ministries that was set up in April.