Mr. Kasit Piromya, Foreign Minister, is scheduled to pay an official visit to the Union of Myanmar during 22-23 March 2009, to strengthen its good relations with Myanmar both at bilateral, regional, and multilateral levels. In addition, this visit also provides an opportunity for both sides to follow up on various cooperative projects between the two countries to ensure their substantive implementation.
During his visit, Foreign Minister Kasit will pay a courtesy call on General Thein Sein, Prime Minister of the Union of Myanmar, in Nay Pyi Taw. He will also have a meeting with H.E. U Nyan Win, Foreign Minister of the Union of Myanmar. On this occasion, Foreign Minister Kasit will present a contribution in the amount of 2,033,654.34 Baht from the Royal Thai Government and Thai people to his counterpart to help reconstruct pagodas and religious sites in Nyuang Wai Village which was destroyed by Cyclone Nargis. In addition, Foreign Minister Kasit will meet with Team Thailand and Thai business people in Myanmar.
Foreign Minister Kasit will also take this opportunity to discuss the expedition of on-going collaborative projects between the two countries, such as projects hosted by Thai Royal Armed Forces Headquarters and the Thai Red Cross to provide assistance to those affected by Cyclone Nargis, cooperation on suppression on narcotics and alternative development project, road linkage projects, cooperation on energy, Dawei Deep Sea Port, the issue of illegal migrant workers and anti-human trafficking. Moreover, the Foreign Minister will consult with the Myanmar leadership on a possible date for the 7th JBC Meeting and on cooperation with the Myanmar side to address the Bengalis/ Rohingyas issue.
Currently, Thailand has an excellent state of bilateral relations with Myanmar. In the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis, Thailand has played a vital role in providing assistance and facilitating humanitarian aid from the international community. In terms of trade, Thailand is the number one trading partner of Myanmar. In 2008, the overall trade volume between the two countries reached Baht 144,291 million, or 31.7 per cent increase from the previous year. Important Thai products exported to Myanmar include animal fat and vegetable oil, chemicals, iron and steel, as well as plastic resin. Top products imported from Myanmar to Thailand are natural gas, timber and lumber, metal ores and scraps, iron and steel, as well as coal. 2551
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