During the morning of 22 July 2010, on the sidelines of the 43rd ASEAN Ministerial Meeting, Post Ministerial Meetings and related Meetings in Hanoi, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya held bilateral meetings with his counterparts from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), New Zealand, Canada and India. In this connection, Mr. Thani Thongphakdi, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Information and Deputy Spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry gave a press briefing as follow:
1. Bilateral Meeting with Mr. Pak Ui-Chun, DPRK Foreign Minister - Foreign Minister Kasit said that he was pleased that Foreign Minister Pak Ui-chun was able to attend this year’s ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) as the ARF was an important forum that the DPRK could use to state and clarify its position on various issues of concern to the international community. As Thailand hopes to see the DPRK more engaged with the region and the international community, this forum could be used to enhance better understanding between the DPRK and other member countries. With regards to the DPRK nuclear issue, the DPRK stated that it was ready to resume the 6-Party Talks on an equal footing. Regarding the Cheonan incident, Foreign Minister Kasit had emphasized that what was important was the facts behind what had transpired. If the DPRK feels it should present its case, then it could provide information to ongoing investigations.
2. Bilateral with Mr. Lawrence Cannon Canadian Foreign Minister - Foreign Minister Cannon welcomed the return of normalcy in Thailand, saying that the Thai Government had exercised extreme restraint in dealing with the situation. The Canadian Foreign Minister also expressed his appreciation for the assistance the Thai Government had rendered to the two Canadian journalists injured during the unrest. Foreign Minister Kasit informed the Canadian Foreign Minister of the background behind the recent political unrest as well as the Government’s efforts to promote reconciliation. The Thai Foreign Minister also expressed interest in learning from Canada’s experiences and best practices on such issues as good governance, accountability and transparency, as well as on how to strengthen Thailand’s democratic institutions. Both agreed that this was important because democracy is not just about election day, but also how democratic ideals and principles are abided by society during the other 364 days of the year. Both also recalled their participation in the recent meeting of the Communities of Democracies in Krakow, Poland, during which the issue of democracy education was discussed. In this regard, the two sides discussed the possibility of jointly organizing a workshop on this matter in Thailand in the near future.
3. Bilateral with Mr. Murray McCully, New Zealand Foreign Minister - Foreign Minister Kasit and his New Zealand counterpart discussed how to further promote cooperation between both countries, especially on such issues as human resources development and food safety. Furthermore, Foreign Minister Kasit expressed interest in New Zealand’s democracy, especially issues related to good governance, transparency and accountability and the development of democratic institutions. In addition, as Thailand is in the process of educational reform, Foreign Minister Kasit expressed interest in recruiting English language teachers from New Zealand to teach the subject in Thailand.
4. Bilateral Meeting with Madam Preneet Kaur, Indian Minister of State of External Affairs - Foreign Minister Kasit and the Indian Minister of State discussed ongoing efforts to promote closer bilateral ties between the two countries, particularly given Thailand’s Look West policy and India’s Look East policy. To this end, both would promote more exchanges of visit at all levels and the early convening of the Thai-Indian Joint Commission at a mutually convenient time. The Indian side also sought Thailand’s support for its initiative to restore the Nalanda University as a leading educational institution, especially on the subject of Buddhism.
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