On 17 June 2010, in addition to co-chairing the First Meeting of the Joint Commission (JC) for Bilateral Co-operation between Thailand and Kenya, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya paid a courtesy call on His Excellency Mwai Kibaki, President of Kenya. He also met with The Hon. W. Musalia Mudavaid, Deputy Prime Minister/Minister for Local Government, and The Hon. Henry Kiprono Kosgey, Minister for Industrialization.
In his courtesy call on the Kenyan President, Foreign Minister Kasit congratulated Kenya for the progress it has achieved domestically and the prominent role it has played regionally, especially with regards to the East African Community (EAC). He also thanked Kenya for the understanding, concern and support it had extended to Thailand during the recent period of political unrest. As the Government has been able to overcome the immediate problems faced, it was now trying to address the various political, economic and social concerns facing the country by inviting all stakeholders to join in a reform process to move the country forward on the road to a full-fledged democracy.
Regarding bilateral relations, the Foreign Minister thanked the President for his vision in initiating the Joint Commission (JC), which had met for the very first time that day. During the JC, it was agreed that both would become strategic partners. In this connection, given the geographical location of both countries as regional hubs, Thailand could use Kenya as a gateway into East Africa, while Kenya could use Thailand as a staging area into Southeast Asia. Importantly, given the EAC’s customs union and forthcoming common market, Thai exports to Kenya through the port of Mombasa would have access to over 126 million consumers in the Community. Similarly, Kenyan exports to Thailand would have access to over 700 million consumers in the ASEAN region and southern China.
As for the Foreign Minister’s call on the Kenyan Deputy Prime Minister/Minister for Local Government and Minister for Industrialization, both sides discussed how to further promote economic ties between Thailand and Kenya. The Foreign Minister also expressed Thailand’s keen interest in investing in Kenya, especially in such areas as agro-industries, construction and tourism. In this connection, a number of business leaders also accompanied the Foreign Minister to Kenya on this visit to look for investment opportunities. This was welcomed by the Kenyan side who briefed the Thai side about the country’s Vision 2030 development strategy, privatisation program and other opportunities for investment. Both sides also agreed to promote closer cooperation between the investment promotion authorities of both countries, particularly in the areas of capacity building and sharing of experiences for the mutual benefit of both sides.
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