During 25-26 May 2009, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya attended the 9th ASEM Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Hanoi, which had as its theme, “Forging a Closer Asia-Europe Partnership to Address the Financial and Economic Crisis and Other Global Challenges.”
In discussions about the global financial and economic crisis, Foreign Minister Kasit briefed the Meeting about ASEAN efforts to address the crisis, including the convening of the Special ASEAN+3 Finance Ministers’ Meeting in Phuket, Thailand in February 2009, during which progress was made on the multilateralisation of the Chiang Mai Initiative (CMI) with a proposed reserve pool of USD 120 billion. He also spoke about Thailand’s participation, as the ASEAN Chair, in the London Summit in April 2009, during which the G20 recognised the need to listen to and reflect the concerns of all regions. ASEAN also supported the G20’s call for the strengthening of financial supervision and regulation, the strengthening of global financial institutions, resisting protectionism and the promotion of global trade and investment.
The Foreign Minister stressed that cooperation between Asia and Europe was important, particularly in sharing knowledge, experience and best practices in dealing with and preventing further economic crisis. There was also a need to stimulate discussion and encourage political will so that global financial institutions could continue with their reform. Additionally, ASEM members need to agree that economic and financial issues are as important as political issues in ASEM’s cooperation dialogues.
Under the agenda item on Recent Developments in Asia, Thailand, as the current ASEAN Chair, briefed the Meeting about ongoing efforts to achieve an ASEAN Community by the year 2015, based on the Political-Security, Economic and Social-Cultural Communities. The Foreign Minister also invited the European Union to work with regional countries on a trilateral basis to promote further integration at the regional and sub-regional levels.
On climate change, Foreign Minister Kasit reiterated Thailand’s readiness to cooperate under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and said that Thailand would once again host the UN Climate Change Talks in Bangkok later this year. He also recalled as an example of cooperation between Asia and Europe the establishment of the Asia-Europe Environmental Technology Centre which Thailand had hosted to promote the exchange of knowledge and the transfer of environmentally sound technology.
In addition to the bilaterals the Foreign Minister held earlier, he also met separately with the Foreign Ministers and head of delegations from Belgium, Bulgaria, Estonia, India, Latvia, Mongolia, Portugal, as well as with the European Union’s Special Envoy for Myanmar.
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