On 23 July 2009 at 14:45 hours, Mr. Kasit Piromya, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, met with Mr. Rohitha Bogollagama, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, on the sidelines of the 16th ASEAN Regional Forum in Phuket, Thailand. Gist is as follows:
Attending the ARF for the third time, the Sri Lanka Foreign Minister said he was impressed by the progress that the ARF has made and welcomed the success of the meetings. The Minister also expressed his appreciation for Thailand’s assistance to Sri Lanka when it was required. Foreign Minister Kasit said Thailand was willing to support the rehabilitation process in Sri Lanka and ready to join hands with other international organizations to lend support.
Furthermore, the Thai private sector has expressed interest in trade and investment with Sri Lanka, therefore, any information on trade and investment opportunities would be beneficial to both sides. Thailand attaches importance to the development of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and has a policy to support SMEs investment abroad. The Thai private sector also has experience in the construction business, especially in housing in the Middle East.
Both Ministers also discussed the enhancement of bilateral cooperation on culture by using Buddhism as a bridge to link both countries.
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