On 7 October 2010, Mr. Kasit Piromya, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, was on the second day of his official visit to the Kingdom of Spain.
In the morning, the Foreign Minister went to Puertollano to have a briefing and site visit to the solar thermal power plant of Iberdrolas Renovables Company. Iberdrolas Renovables Company is a pioneer company on renewable energy development, such as solar power, wind power, hydropower, and biomass. Foreign Minister Kasit informed the company that Thailand also has policy and clear plan (15-Year Alternative Energy Development Plan: 2008-2022) to promote the use of renewable energy. Thailand will give high priority to renewable energy development, especially, solar power and wind power, which Iberdrolas Renovables Company has expertise. Foreign Minister Kasit also invited company’s representatives to come to Thailand to explore possible for cooperation in this area.
In the evening, Foreign Minister Kasit had a bilateral meeting with Mr. Miguel Angel Moratinos Cuyaube, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Spain.
Foreign Minister Moratinos commended the close relations between Thailand and Spain at all levels. He also suggested more exchanges of high-level visits.
Foreign Minister Kasit reiterated that the Royal Thai Government under Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva had a strong intention to make Thailand a democratic society. In this connection, Thailand wishes to learn best practice from Spain to help strengthen her democracy.
Foreign Minister Kasit also exchanged views with Foreign Minister Moratinos on cooperation in various areas, namely military and defense cooperation on world peace and security, and also anti transnational crimes, and trilateral cooperation to help third countries on their development, especially in Africa and Latin America, as well as cultural cooperation.
On economic aspect, both sides agreed to boost more investment, since the volume of investment is still very low, compared with the trade volume. Moreover, both sides agreed to share experiences and technology in various sectors, for example, renewable energy, creative economy, tourism.
On this occasion, both Foreign Ministers also signed 2 Agreements, namely Joint Plan of Action between the Kingdom of Thailand and the Kingdom of Spain (JPA) and Agreement between the Kingdom of Thailand and the Kingdom of Spain on the Reciprocal Waiver of Visas for Diplomatic Passports. Both sides agreed to utilize both Agreements to their fullest in order to further strengthen the bilateral relations.
For further information, please contact the Press Division, Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tel.02-6435170, Fax.02-6435169, E-mail: div0704@mfa.go.th