On 18 July 2010, Mr. Jeremy Browne, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the United Kingdom, paid a courtesy call on Mr. Kasit Piromya, Minister of Foreign Affairs, during his official visit to Southeast Asia, at Novotel Suvarnabhumi Airport Hotel.
The discussion between both sides focused on the economic issues, and Foreign Minister Kasit welcomed the investment as well as transfer of technology know-how from the UK to Thailand in the areas of agro-industry, renewable/ alternative energy, clean technology, and medical hub. The said cooperation are in line with the Royal Thai Government’s policy in developing the country towards a knowledge-based society. At the regional level, Thailand determined to become an emerging donor for its neighboring countries in order to reduce the development gap among the ASEAN member countries. In this connection, the UK could engage with Thailand and other countries in the region in trilateral cooperation in the areas of human resource and institutional development, private investment to promote the regional connectivity and share best practices in fostering good governance to strengthen the working mechanisms of ASEAN.
With regard to politics, Foreign Minister Kasit emphasized that the Thai society is committed to moving forward as a democratic society. The reconciliation plan that included reform process in various areas has been opened to public scrutiny. There should be no doubt from any countries about the Thai Government’s administration and the democracy in Thailand. Nonetheless, he was very thankful towards the UK and other countries that expressed their concern about the political situation in Thailand.
As for the socio-cultural aspect, Foreign Minister Kasit expressed his interest in cooperating with the UK for the exchange of British native speakers to teach English language for the Thai students to improve their foreign language skill.
In this connection, the UK Minister stated that he chose to visit Thailand as his first official overseas trip outside Europe since assuming his post. The British Government would like to demonstrate the importance that it attached to stronger engagement with the ASEAN, and believed that the Southeast Asian countries would play more active roles in the developing world with their potential in economic growth and opportunities. The UK, therefore, is interested in discussing investment opportunities in Thailand, as well as socio-cultural cooperation in terms of educational programs and protection of the British nationals. In this regard, the UK wished to see the stable government and democratic institutions in Thailand, so that the country would be ready for the upcoming British investment in the future.
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