On 18th May 2009, the Ambassadors to Thailand of six countries, namely Switzerland, Norway, Ukraine, Israel, Malaysia and Brunei, paid courtesy calls on Mr. Kasit Piromya, Minister of Foreign Affairs, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Gist as follows:
During his call, Mr. Rodolphe Imhoof, Ambassador of Switzerland, among others, discussed various bilateral issues as well as the possibility of a Thai-EFTA Free Trade Agreement (TEFTA), human rights and refugees. Foreign Minister Kasit reiterated that Thailand stands ready to cooperate with Switzerland at the bilateral, regional and global levels. He also took the opportunity to update the Swiss Ambassador on the latest political developments in Thailand.
During her meeting, Ambassador Merete Fjeld Brattested of Norway expressed concern on Aung San Suu Kyi’s detention and the ongoing situation. Foreign Minister Kasit briefed the Ambassador on his telephone conversation with the U.S. Secretary of State. He reiterated that Thailand, as the current Chair of ASEAN, would discuss this matter with ASEAN members during the Senior Officials' Meetings of ASEAN, ARF and EAS in Phuket on 19 May 2009.
During his meeting, Ambassador Markiian Chuchuk of Ukraine said that the bilateral relations between Thailand and Ukraine have made progress in the last few years. Trade volume between the two countries in 2008 has increasedtwofold since 2007. Both sides agreed that the Thai-Ukrainian Joint Commission meeting at the ministerial level should be convened to discuss various issues of mutual interest. Foreign Minister Kasit said Thailand would consider visa exemption for Ukrainian tourists.
During the meeting with Ambassador Yael Rubinstein of Israel, both sides agreed to enhance further the bilateral cooperation between the two countries, especially in security, technology and agriculture. They also agreed to foster the exchange of peoples and technical know-how in the said sectors. Ambassador Rubenstein expressed her interest in joining Foreign Minister Kasit in traveling to the southern border provinces so that she could learn about the situation first-hand.
Dato’ Husni Zai bin Yaacob, Ambassador of Malaysia to Thailand, welcomed Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva’s official visit to Malaysia, scheduled to take place on 8 June 2009. Both sides also discussed bilateral cooperation in such areas as education, labour and transportation. Foreign Minister Kasit reiterated Thailand’s readiness to work closely with ASEAN and UNHCR on the issue of illegal immigrants.
Ambassador Dato Paduka Haji Kamis bin Haji Tamin, Ambassador of Brunei Darussalam also welcomed Prime Minister Abhisit’s official visit to Brunei Darussalam in June 2009. Foreign Minister Kasit underlined that Thailand stands ready to cooperate with Brunei Darussalam on the issues of land reform and agriculture, especially rice production and strain development.
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