The summit was initiated by US President Barrack Obama, who was keen to follow up on his successful visits to Asean states, Davies told The Nation in an interview yesterday.

“It will be the first time to have a gathering of Asean leaders hosted by the States,” he said.

The summit will follow the direction of Asean-US strategic partnerships.

“The summit will be of greater benefit for Thailand, Asean and the US,” he said.

However, he said the US was still working out collaboration with partners in Asean countries for the Summit.

The President announced in Kuala Lumpur in November that he would hold the meeting. It will be staged at Sunnylands in Rancho Mirage, California, on February 15-16, the White House website said.

The unprecedented gathering builds on the deeper partnership that the United States has forged with Asean since 2009 and will further advance the Administration’s rebalance to Asia and the Pacific. For nearly 40 years, the United States and Asean have worked toward stability, prosperity, and peace in Southeast Asia.

Ambassador Davies, meanwhile, was also looking forward to seeing Thailand and the United States co-host the annual Cobra Gold military exercise in different areas across the Kingdom from February 9-19.

“It will be my first Cobra Gold. It will be interesting to observe the drill,” he said.