On 24 May 2011, Mr. Kasit Piromya, Minister of Foreign Affairs, arrived in Bali, Indonesia to attend the 16th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Ministerial Conference, during 25-27 May 2011, and held bilateral talks with Brazil, North Korea and the President of the United Nations General Assembly, gist as follows:
Meeting with Mr. Jose Antonio Carvalho, High Representative of the Foreign Minister of Brazil, Brazil sought Thailand’s support for the candidacy of Brazil for the position of Director-General of FAO, as well as signature and accession to the ASEAN Treaty of Amity and Cooperation or TAC. With regard to the latter, Thailand responded positively to Brazil’s request. As for bilateral cooperation, trade between Thailand and Brazil increased progressively with Brazil being Thailand’s leading trading partner in Latin America. Furthermore, both countries have close cooperation in frameworks such as FAO, World Food Programme and World Trade Organization (WTO). Both countries are leading food exporters and not only produce food for consumption and export, but also for renewable energy. Both sides agreed to enhance cooperation, exchange know how and best practices, as well as expand cooperation between ASEAN and MERCOSUR.
At the meeting with Mr. Pak Ui Chun, Foreign Minister of North Korea, Thailand was briefed on the positive internal developments of North Korea, the situation on the Korean peninsula, and the issue of human rights in the country. Thailand wishes to see both North and South Korea engage in dialogue and negotiations. In this regard, ASEAN is willing to help facilitate in any way the dialogue between North and South Korea, including use the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). As for bilateral relations between Thailand and North Korea, Thailand hopes the latter would consider cooperation in barter trade as in the past, for North Korea is rich in coal and iron ore while Thailand has rice, tapioca and sugar. For the issue of human rights, as Thailand is currently chair of the UN Human Rights Council, and has to take a broader systemic view.
At the meeting with Mr. Joseph Deiss, President of the 65th United Nations General Assembly, both sides exchanged views on UN reform, which should provide a greater opportunity for developing countries to participate in UN governance, in particular the Security Council. The final outcome should uphold the basic values and principles of the UN such as democracy, accountability and inclusiveness. As for the issue of human rights in Myanmar, Thailand is of the view that progress and development are evident in Myanmar, be they the recent release of prisoners, including political prisoners, or Myanmar’s commitment to be the ASEAN Chair in 2014. In this regard, Myanmar’s positive developments and credibility also reflect well on ASEAN. At Mr. Deiss’ request, the Thai side also briefed him of developments in Thai-Cambodian relations. The UN wished to see the matter resolved without further loss of lives.
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