On 24 October 2008, Mr. Sompong Amornvivat, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with Mr. Maxime Verhagen, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, on a sideline of the 7th Asia-Europe Meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.
Foreign Minister Verhagen expressed his concern and asked about the latest development of the situation on the Thai-Cambodian border dispute. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sompong thanked his Dutch counterpart and reaffirmed Thailand’s position to solve the problem through the existing bilateral mechanisms. He believed that the situation in the area would be back to normal soon. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sompong also informed the Dutch Foreign Minister that earlier in the morning the Prime Ministers of Thailand and Cambodia had a fruitful and cordial discussion on the matter during their bilateral meeting.
As for the roles of Thailand and ASEAN on Myanmar, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sompong stated that Myanmar was seriously affected by Cyclone Nargis. Both Thailand and ASEAN had played a leading role in providing assistance as well as coordinating and facilitating the transportation of international humanitarian aid to the country, for which Myanmar had expressed her gratitude and appreciation. With regard to the political development in Myanmar, the Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister said that Myanmar is in the process of democratization but the said process might take time.
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