By Bernama,
Tokyo : Thai Foreign Minister Noppadon Pattama on Friday met Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs Masahiko Koumura at Iikura House in Tokyo, with Minister Noppadon thanking his Japanese counterpart for inviting him to officially visit Japan, the first for a Thai foreign minister during the past ten years, Thailand News Agency (TNA) reported.
Foreign Minister Koumura, meanwhile, congratulated Thailand upon its return to democracy and expressed hope that Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej would be able to pay an official visit to Japan soon.
Given the growing economic ties between Thailand and Japan,the ministers expressed satisfaction with the progress made under the Japan-Thailand Economic Partnership Agreement (JTEPA) and reiterated the importance of ensuring its effective implementation.
Foreign Minister Noppadon also thanked Japan for its active role in the Mekong Sub-region and discussed how the two countries could work closer together on a bilateral basis to extend assistance and technical cooperation to other countries in the sub-region.
As for regional issues, Thailand’s upcoming chairmanship of ASEAN and prospects for closer ASEAN-Japan cooperation was discussed.
In this connection, Thailand looks forward to welcoming Prime Minister Fukuda and Foreign Minister Koumura to Thailand in December for the ASEAN+3 Summit and related meetings.
The current and future status of Myanmar was also discussed.
Thailand and Japan shared similar views about the promotion of democracy and human rights in Myanmar, especially through continued dialogue and engagement, according to Noppadon.
Both sides also expressed concern about the humanitarian situation in Myanmar in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis.
Noppadon informed his counterpart of Thailand’s efforts in urging the Myanmar authorities to receive the foreign humanitarian assistance which is waiting for entry to Myanmar and which is urgently needed.
Other issues discussed were the ongoing issue of reform of the United Nations Security Council and the urgent need for the international community to work together to address the problems of climate change, food security and energy security.
On the issue of food security, Minister Noppadon hoped Japan would raise the issue at the upcoming Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) IV and the G8 Summit, which Japan will host in May and July, respectively.
He also urged Japan to promote increased technology transfers to developing countries to help raise agricultural productivity.