SINGAPORE, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Singapore's Foreign Minister George Yeo handed over chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Standing Committee (ASC) to Thailand's Deputy Prime Minister Sahat Banditkul at the end of the bloc's annual ministerial meetings here Thursday.

    At the turnover ceremony, to officially pass the chairmanship from Singapore to Thailand, Yeo presented the ASEAN chairman certificate to Sahat, who replaced Thai Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama attending the meetings. The latter has resigned early this month after Thai Constitution Court ruled that the agreement he signed with Cambodia over Preah Vihear Temple was unconstitutional.

    In his acceptance remarks, Sahat assured his ASEAN counterparts that Thailand will prepare actively and professionally for the forthcoming Bankok ASEAN Summit in December.

    Secretary-General of ASEAN Surin Pitsuwan recently has called for the quick appointment of a Thai foreign minister to prevent any vacuum of leadership as Thailand is taking over the ASEAN chair this month.

    The turnover of the ASC chairmanship came at the end of a series of annual ASEAN foreign ministers meetings which included the 41th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting, the Post Ministerial Conferences (PMC) and the 15th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) which concluded just this afternoon.

    ASEAN groups Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.