Bangkok--Apr 8--MFA
Closing Statement by His Excellency Mr. Charivat Santaputra, Deputy Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs, on behalf of His Excellency Mr. Noppadon Pattama, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand at the Second Asia-Middle East Dialogue (AMED II), 6 April 2008, Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt
Excellencies,
Distinguished Participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to begin by thanking our host, the Arab Republic of Egypt, for all the efforts and excellent arrangements that have made AMED II such a resounding success.
What we have achieved over the past two days is encouraging. The adoption of the Declaration of Principles of Amity and Cooperation and the productive and comprehensive discussions among representatives from various sectors here in Sharm el Sheikh — all these leave no doubt that our “Partnership in Action”, which we have forged since Singapore almost three years ago, is heading in the right direction.
Today, AMED represents almost two-thirds of the world’s population, one-third of its output, and more than 60% of its international reserves. We are also home not only to the world’s oldest civilizations and cultures, but also to some of the most modern and dynamic economies in the world.
We have tremendous opportunities to work and prosper together.
The challenge now before us is how to transform today’s aspirations and opportunities into tomorrow’s success stories.
As we move towards AMED III in two years’ time, I propose that we answer a couple of questions:
First, what are the priorities that we in Asia and the Middle East should focus on, that will serve the needs and advancement of our regions and peoples in both immediate and longer terms?
And second, how can we synergise and combine the best that our respective regions have to offer — our resources, skills and cultural riches — to address those priorities?
Let us draw on the various ideas generated at Sharm el Sheikh and act. And let me offer some of my thoughts on where our priorities should lie.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
First is the world’s energy crisis. Asia imports over half of the 20 million barrels of oil we consume each day from the Gulf countries. But we are also an investor.
Here in the Middle East, Asia has a number of joint projects in the energy sector, such as the 10 billion US dollar Rabigh Petrochemical Plant — a joint venture between Aramco and Sumimoto Chemical. Thailand’s PTTEP has also invested in oil field development and exploration in Oman, Bahrain, Iran, Algeria and here in Egypt.
Still, we can do more. Looking ahead, we should explore how we can work together in other upstream and downstream activities — from exploration and production to refineries and petrochemicals.
A second area would be food. While the Middle East has oil, Asia is a major producer of another increasingly valuable commodity — food.
AMED has already established the Sub-working Group on Halal Food. This area holds great promise. We should work further together on standards harmonization of product and production processes — issues that still hamper trade between our regions.
But we should also think of what more we can do in other food-related areas. Crops from our fields not only feed the world’s growing population. They are increasingly being used to produce alternative energy. Food is now linked with energy security and sustainable development, a nexus we should explore further.
Third, with markets growing and purchasing power rising, there remains much room for intra-AMED investment and trade to expand. The growing international reserves in AMED should be used to tap profitable opportunities in our two regions. After all, Asia is a big producer of a myriad of manufactured goods and services.
Fourth is the management of our human resources. Prosperity and growth in many Middle East economies countries have been translated into massive investments and construction booms in the region. This has resulted in rising demand for skilled workers, which is being met by the pool of human resources in Asia. Labour cooperation is thus another area for us to work on more seriously for mutual benefit.
So is human resources development. Our two regions have abundant intellectual, entrepreneurial and technical expertise that can be shared. We should encourage our officials, businesses, scientists, academicians, journalists and other civil society actors to network and work together.
Training programmes are also extremely important. Singapore’s initiative to establish a Regional Training Center in the Middle East, which we support, is only the beginning.
Many of our countries have agencies or programmes for technical cooperation. Thailand, for example, has the Thailand International Development Cooperation Agency, or TICA, which offer courses and training programmes in such areas as public health and sufficiency economy for sustainable development. We should examine in further detail how to match technical needs with offers of technical cooperation.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Underlying the linkages and cooperation between our two regions are contacts at the people-to-people level. We need in particular to enhance understanding between our peoples and respect for one another’s cultures and beliefs.
With major religions and faiths represented, I believe AMED can do much to promote inter-faith dialogue and mutual respect, as well as address the misunderstandings and misperceptions among peoples of different faiths.
Here, we all agree on the crucial role of the media. We should thus promote more cross-cultural media activities, such as regular exchanges and networking among members of the media. Such activities could help foster respect, sensitivity and accurate perceptions across cultures, and echo the voice of moderation in every society.
Excellencies,
Distinguished participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As Asia rises, so rises the Middle East. Our two regions are the emerging powerhouses of today.
Let us use the ideas generated through AMED to help make our regions the powerhouses of tomorrow, so that when we meet again in Thailand, the Silk Road that connected us in years gone by may be reborn as the Silk Superhighway of the future.
As host of AMED III, Thailand looks forward to working with all of you as we prepare for 2010.
Thank you.
Prime Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Press Division, Department of Information Tel.(02) 643-5170
Fax. (02) 643-5169 E-mail : div0704@mfa.go.th End.
-PM-
Closing Statement by His Excellency Mr. Charivat Santaputra, Deputy Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs, on behalf of His Excellency Mr. Noppadon Pattama, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand at the Second Asia-Middle East Dialogue (AMED II), 6 April 2008, Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt
Excellencies,
Distinguished Participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to begin by thanking our host, the Arab Republic of Egypt, for all the efforts and excellent arrangements that have made AMED II such a resounding success.
What we have achieved over the past two days is encouraging. The adoption of the Declaration of Principles of Amity and Cooperation and the productive and comprehensive discussions among representatives from various sectors here in Sharm el Sheikh — all these leave no doubt that our “Partnership in Action”, which we have forged since Singapore almost three years ago, is heading in the right direction.
Today, AMED represents almost two-thirds of the world’s population, one-third of its output, and more than 60% of its international reserves. We are also home not only to the world’s oldest civilizations and cultures, but also to some of the most modern and dynamic economies in the world.
We have tremendous opportunities to work and prosper together.
The challenge now before us is how to transform today’s aspirations and opportunities into tomorrow’s success stories.
As we move towards AMED III in two years’ time, I propose that we answer a couple of questions:
First, what are the priorities that we in Asia and the Middle East should focus on, that will serve the needs and advancement of our regions and peoples in both immediate and longer terms?
And second, how can we synergise and combine the best that our respective regions have to offer — our resources, skills and cultural riches — to address those priorities?
Let us draw on the various ideas generated at Sharm el Sheikh and act. And let me offer some of my thoughts on where our priorities should lie.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
First is the world’s energy crisis. Asia imports over half of the 20 million barrels of oil we consume each day from the Gulf countries. But we are also an investor.
Here in the Middle East, Asia has a number of joint projects in the energy sector, such as the 10 billion US dollar Rabigh Petrochemical Plant — a joint venture between Aramco and Sumimoto Chemical. Thailand’s PTTEP has also invested in oil field development and exploration in Oman, Bahrain, Iran, Algeria and here in Egypt.
Still, we can do more. Looking ahead, we should explore how we can work together in other upstream and downstream activities — from exploration and production to refineries and petrochemicals.
A second area would be food. While the Middle East has oil, Asia is a major producer of another increasingly valuable commodity — food.
AMED has already established the Sub-working Group on Halal Food. This area holds great promise. We should work further together on standards harmonization of product and production processes — issues that still hamper trade between our regions.
But we should also think of what more we can do in other food-related areas. Crops from our fields not only feed the world’s growing population. They are increasingly being used to produce alternative energy. Food is now linked with energy security and sustainable development, a nexus we should explore further.
Third, with markets growing and purchasing power rising, there remains much room for intra-AMED investment and trade to expand. The growing international reserves in AMED should be used to tap profitable opportunities in our two regions. After all, Asia is a big producer of a myriad of manufactured goods and services.
Fourth is the management of our human resources. Prosperity and growth in many Middle East economies countries have been translated into massive investments and construction booms in the region. This has resulted in rising demand for skilled workers, which is being met by the pool of human resources in Asia. Labour cooperation is thus another area for us to work on more seriously for mutual benefit.
So is human resources development. Our two regions have abundant intellectual, entrepreneurial and technical expertise that can be shared. We should encourage our officials, businesses, scientists, academicians, journalists and other civil society actors to network and work together.
Training programmes are also extremely important. Singapore’s initiative to establish a Regional Training Center in the Middle East, which we support, is only the beginning.
Many of our countries have agencies or programmes for technical cooperation. Thailand, for example, has the Thailand International Development Cooperation Agency, or TICA, which offer courses and training programmes in such areas as public health and sufficiency economy for sustainable development. We should examine in further detail how to match technical needs with offers of technical cooperation.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Underlying the linkages and cooperation between our two regions are contacts at the people-to-people level. We need in particular to enhance understanding between our peoples and respect for one another’s cultures and beliefs.
With major religions and faiths represented, I believe AMED can do much to promote inter-faith dialogue and mutual respect, as well as address the misunderstandings and misperceptions among peoples of different faiths.
Here, we all agree on the crucial role of the media. We should thus promote more cross-cultural media activities, such as regular exchanges and networking among members of the media. Such activities could help foster respect, sensitivity and accurate perceptions across cultures, and echo the voice of moderation in every society.
Excellencies,
Distinguished participants,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
As Asia rises, so rises the Middle East. Our two regions are the emerging powerhouses of today.
Let us use the ideas generated through AMED to help make our regions the powerhouses of tomorrow, so that when we meet again in Thailand, the Silk Road that connected us in years gone by may be reborn as the Silk Superhighway of the future.
As host of AMED III, Thailand looks forward to working with all of you as we prepare for 2010.
Thank you.
Prime Minister at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Press Division, Department of Information Tel.(02) 643-5170
Fax. (02) 643-5169 E-mail : div0704@mfa.go.th End.
-PM-