On 27 September 2013, while attending the 68th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Mr. Surapong Tovichakchaikul, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, met with several Foreign Ministers to discuss issues of mutual interest and seek support for Thailand’s candidatures for a non-permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for the term 2017-2018 and a second term on the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) in 2015-2017.

Meeting with Mr. Kuntoro Mangkusubroto, Chief of Indonesia’s Presidential Delivery Unit, Mr. Surapong expressed Thailand’s interest in joining the Open Government Partnership, an Indonesia-initiated forum aimed at promoting transparency, good governance and participation of civil society.  He also reiterated Prime Minister Yingluck’s invitation for President Yudhoyono to attend the Bangkok Dialogue on the Rule of Law, to be held in Bangkok in November 2013. 

During his meeting with Mr. Ditmir Bushati, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Albania, Mr. Surapong said that the opening of an honorary Thai Consulate in Tirana last year would help facilitate travels and business contacts between Thailand and Albania.  He thanked Foreign Minister Bushati for his country’s support for Thailand’s candidature to the UNSC and pledged Thailand’s reciprocal support for Albania’s candidature to the UNSC for the term 2015-2017.  He also requested support for Thailand’s re-election to the HRC. After their discussions, both Foreign Ministers signed the MoU on visa exemption for holders of diplomatic and official passports.

Meeting with His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, Mr. Surapong invited him to visit Thailand to co-chair the 1st Thailand-UAE Joint Commission Meeting.  He encouraged more investments from the UAE to Thailand, especially in infrastructure projects and halal food, and asked the UAE- to consider concluding the pending MoU on visa exemption for holders of diplomatic, special and official/service passports.  He also proposed an arrangement of reciprocal support for candidatures to the UNSC between the UAE’s term of 2022-2023 and Thailand’s term of 2017-2018.

Mr. Surapong also had a bilateral meeting with Ms. Maria Angela Holguin Coéllar, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia.  He expressed appreciation for the Colombian President’s invitation for Prime Minister Yingluck to visit Colombia, and suggested more frequent exchange of visits, trade missions, and enhanced networking between the Thai and Colombian private sectors, in order to increase awareness of each other’s economic potential.  He reaffirmed Thailand’s readiness to cooperate with Colombia on women empowerment and tourism promotion. He also invited a keynote panelist from Colombia to participate in the Bangkok Dialogue on the Rule of Law, Justice and Security, to be held in Bangkok in November, and sought Colombia’s support for Thailand’s candidature to the HRC. After their discussions, the Foreign Ministers signed an MoU on the establishment of bilateral consultations between Thailand and Colombia.

At the meeting with Mr. Ali Ahmed Karti, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sudan, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister expressed his satisfaction with the relations between Thailand and Sudan throughout thirty-one years of diplomatic ties. He reiterated Thailand’s readiness to strengthen strategic partnership with Africa, especially through the recently launched Thai-Africa Initiative, and invited Sudan to participate in the Thai-Africa Initiative’s High-level Dialogue, to be held in Thailand in February 2014. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Surapong also sought Sudan’s support for Thailand’s candidatures to the UNSC and the HRC.

During his meeting with Mr. Nikola Poposki, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Macedonia, Mr. Surapong encouraged more frequent exchanges of high-level visits from both the government and private sectors. He also expressed Thailand’s interest in expanding trade with Macedonia and informed his Macedonian counterpart that Thailand was considering the draft Agreement of Mutual Protection of Investments proposed by Macedonia and looked forward to concluding the negotiations on an agreement on the avoidance of double taxation. The Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister also requested Macedonia’s support for Thailand candidatures to the UNSC and the HRC.