On 29 October 2010, Mr. Kasit Piromya, Minister of Foreign Affairs, discussed various bilateral issues with Mr. Seiji Maehara, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, during their participation in the 17th ASEAN Summit and related summits in Hanoi, Viet Nam.
Both sides deliberated on their close and lasting relations which Japan has continuously marked her role in supporting many development projects in Thailand. Mr. Kasit stated that Thailand has now become a new donor country, shaping a new form of Thai — Japanese relations from donor — recipient to development partners. In this regards, the two countries could cooperate to support the regional development programmes especially on reducing the development gap in ASEAN. Moreover, Mr. Kasit also informed that Thailand is now promoting creative economy, which is based on education, researches and new innovation in various areas such as alternative energy, medical science, information and communication technology, and designing fields. In this regards, Japan could take a role in technology transfer and investment in the aforementioned areas.
Also, both sides agreed to specify the time frame for convening Japan — Thailand Political Partnership Consultation (JT-PPC) and Japan — Thailand Economic Partnership Agreement (JTEPA), which are the main mechanisms that guide the relations between Thailand and Japan.
In addition, Mr. Kasit reaffirmed that Thailand is a democratic society which uphold the principle of good governance. Mr. Kasit also noted with appreciation that, even though Thailand has recently experienced domestic political difficulties, the Japanese investors in Thailand have still maintained their businesses in the country and even expended their scale of investment.
Regarding the progress on investigation of the death of the Japanese reporter during Thailand’s political unrest in late April this year, Mr. Kasit emphasised that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has continuously closely collaborated with the Department of Special Investigation in this matter. Therefore, Japan can rest assure that Thailand would take its full effort on this matter with high consideration.
In this connection, Mr. Seiji expressed his condolence on the lost caused by the major flood in Thailand and informed that Japan stands ready to help Thailand alleviating the damages from the flood. Mr. Kasit said that Thailand has been able to handle the situation. However, if any fellow countries would like to offer aids or assistances to Thailand, they could do so through the Thai Red Cross Society.
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