On 1 June 2010, during the 2nd ASEAN-GCC meeting in Singapore, Mr. Panich Vikitsreth, Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, held bilateral meetings with member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), namely Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Sultanate of Oman, Foreign Minister of Bahrain, Minister of State of Qatar, and Deputy Prime Minister/ Foreign Minister of Kuwait. In addition, he also had a working lunch with the Foreign Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Gist as follows:
1. Mr. Ahmed Bin Yousuf Al Harthy, Undersecretary of Diplomatic Affairs of Oman
Both sides reiterated the cordial relations between Thailand and Oman in various areas such as trade, investment and medical tourism. The two countries also enjoyed close cooperation in food and agricultural sectors. Vice Foreign Minister Panich expressed his appreciation for Oman’s support to Thailand in international fora and briefed Mr. Ahmed on the political situation in Thailand, which already returned to normalcy. Mr. Ahmed congratulated the Royal Thai Government’s success in taking control of the situation and stated the importance of the rules of law in enabling the stability of the country.
2. Mr. Ahmad Bin Abdullah Bin Z. Al-Mahmoud, Minister of State of Qatar
Mr. Ahmad stated that the Qatari side recognized the importance of the bilateral relations with Thailand due to the long lasting tie and cooperation between the two countries and the large amount of Qatari nationals traveling to Thailand for medical and leisure purposes. Vice Foreign Minister Panich expressed appreciation to the Qatari side for understanding of the situation in the Southern Border Provinces of Thailand and for supporting Thailand in international fora. In this regard, the Qatari side expressed confidence in the equality of Muslims in Thailand as well as their integration into the Thai society. With regards to the current political situation, Qatar viewed Thailand as a close ally and regarded that the security and development of Thailand also affected Qatar’s security. Qatar has demonstrated its sincerity on the matter by being the only GCC member that did not issue tourist warning about Thailand. In this regard, Vice Foreign Minister Panich expressed his appreciation to Qatar and summarized the current political situation and the progress of the 5-step reconciliation plan.
3. Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmed Bin Mohamed Al-Khalifa, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bahrain
Shaikh Khalid concurred with the Royal Thai Government on the attempt to restore normalcy to the country and expressed his readiness to support Thailand, as a close ally of Bahrain. Moreover, Shaikh Khalid believed that the Royal Thai Government would succeed to enforce the rules of law and praised the good spirit and kindness of thousands of Thais who participated in the cleaning of the rally sites after the end of the protest. In this regard, Vice Foreign Minister Panich expressed his gratitude for the understanding and sincerity of Bahrain to Thailand. Both sides also discussed the upcoming official visit of the Prime Minister of Bahrain to Thailand.
4. His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
Vice Foreign Minister Panich affirmed that the political situation in Thailand has returned to normalcy. In response, His Highness Sheikh Abdullah said that the travel warning for the UAE’s nationals would be lifted soon, and reaffirmed the cordial relationship between the two countries. He also assured that the UAE would not allow anyone to use his country as a base for political movement.
5. Sheikh Dr. Mohammed Al-Sabah Al-Salim Al Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kuwait
Both sides exchanged views on various issues i.e. the official visit of the Kuwaiti Prime Minister, the arrangement for “Thailand-Kuwait Joint Committee” meeting, and the bilateral cooperation in the areas of trade, investment, agricultural and tourism. Vice Foreign Minister Panich expressed his gratitude for the Kuwait’s support to Thailand in the international fora. He also briefed the latest development of political situation in Thailand to the Kuwaiti side.
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