On 12 November 2011, on the sidelines of the 23rd APEC Ministerial Meeting in Hawaii, Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul met with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to discuss bilateral as well as regional issues of mutual interest and concern.
During the meeting, the U.S. Secretary of State extended her condolences for the loss of life which resulted from the recent floods as well as reiterated the United States’ continued readiness to extend support to Thailand. In this connection, she will be travelling to Thailand next week to send a strong message of support and solidarity and specific measures of assistance. The Foreign Minister thanked the U.S. Government for the assistance and supported extended to Thailand, including its recent offer to help drain and repair Don Mueang Airport.
As the region is prone to natural disasters, both sides also discussed closer cooperation on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR), including the possibility of using Utapao Airport as HADR purposes, especially on rapid deployment, developing standard operating procedures and enhancing readiness for HADR capabilities. The Foreign Minister also emphasized other related issues such as food security for which there is a need to stabilize supply in the face of potential shortages in times of natural disasters. He also provided assurances that Thai food exports remain safe, particularly as most shipments were harvested and produced well before the floods and as the fish and shrimp farming and processing sectors were not directly impacted by the floods. This should therefore not be an issue of concern.
Both sides also agreed to convene the 4th Thai-Strategic Dialogue which the United States would host to discuss strategic bilateral issues of mutual interest and concern. Additionally, both sides underscored the importance of the Thai-U.S. Creative Partnership, which has led to exchanges among and benefits for government, industry and academia.
On the issue of Myanmar which was also discussed, the Foreign Minister informed the U.S. Secretary of
State of the Prime Minister’s recent visit to Myanmar during which the Thai side saw encouraging signs of democratic reform and national reconciliation which should be further supported and encouraged by the international community to ensure that its reform policies remain on track.
Later that same day, the Foreign Minister as well as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Commerce Kittiratt Na-Ranong met with members of the U.S. APEC Business Coalition. In attendance were 29 leading business executives from such companies such as Google, JP Morgan Chase, General Electric, FedEx, Procter&Gamble, Chevron, AT&T, Visa, UPS, Caterpillar and ConocoPhillips. The Thai side took the opportunity to inform the business coalition of the Government’s efforts to manage the flood situation as well as measures to provide assistance to affected people and businesses, with a view to helping them resume operations as soon as possible. Both sides also discussed the operations of U.S. businesses in Thailand and the various issues they faced with a view to addressing their concerns and facilitating their operations.
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