On 23 December 2010 in Ankara, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya met with Mr. Zafer Caglayan, Minister of State for Foreign Trade of Turkey, to discuss how to promote closer economic partnership between Thailand and Turkey.
During the discussions, the Foreign Minister noted that Thailand and Turkey shared many common characteristics with their strategic locations making them gateways to each respective region. As such, they were natural strategic partners with a number of promising area for cooperation between the two countries, particularly in construction, agro industry, tourism, energy, and jewelry business. In this connection, both sides agreed to support the private sectors and put in place appropriate legal structure to support the realization of these potentials.
In order to promote closer economic cooperation and interaction between Thailand and Turkey, the Minister of State of Foreign Trade of Turkey accepted the invitation extended by the Foreign Minister to visit Thailand with a business delegation in 2011. At the same time, the Foreign Minister will hold roundtable discussions with the Thai private sector and agencies concerned to ensure that they are well aware of the importance of Turkey and its potential. A Thai business delegation will also be sent to Turkey as a follow-up to this visit.
On the same day, the Foreign Minister visited the Middle East Technical University (METU) to give a special lecture on “Thailand’s Pro-Active Foreign Policy” to students from the Department of International Relations. In his lecture, Foreign Minister explained that due to the fact that Thailand is a liberal democratic society and is dependent on cooperation with foreign countries, Thailand has therefore pursued a proactive foreign policy in its bilateral relations with foreign countries as well as in regional and multilateral frameworks. Foreign Minister Kasit highlighted some of Thailand’s proactive roles in regional organizations such as ASEAN, GMS, BIMSTEC, FEALAC, CICA, AMED and in multilateral frameworks such as in the United Nations, World Bank and etc.
During his visit to METU, Foreign Minister also officially inaugurated the Thai Corner in METU which will serve as a bridge for students in Turkey to gain a better understanding of Thailand and its culture.
กองการสื่อมวลชน กรมสารนิเทศ กระทรวงการต่างประเทศ โทร. 643-5170 โทรสาร. 643-5169 E-mail : div0704@mfa.go.th--จบ--