On 2 June 2014 at 13.30 hours, H.E. Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Permanent Secretary, Acting for Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, met with H.E. U Wunna Maung Lwin, Union Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Myanmar in Yangon. The Permanent Secretary briefed the Myanmar Foreign Minister on latest developments of political situation in Thailand, including the National Council for Peace and Order’s  three-stage plan during the transitional period. He stressed that Thailand would continue to play an active and important role in the region, especially with regards to Thailand’s relations with foreign countries and full participations in the international conferences and cooperation frameworks, and requested  for Myanmar’s support as the current  ASEAN Chair.

In this regard, the Myanmar Foreign Minister expressed his understanding of Thailand’s situation and  trusted  that Thailand would successfully implement the three-stage measures according to the timeframe as planned. He also stressed the ASEAN principle of non-interference in Member Countries’ internal affairs and pledged to convey Thailand’s messages to fellow  ASEAN Member Countries.

On this occasion, both sides also discussed on bilateral cooperation issues. The Permanent Secretary stressed Thailand’s commitment to further advancing cooperation with Myanmar, including opening up of new border checkpoints, promotion of border trade and connectivity, as well as other border area development projects. The Myanmar Foreign Minister reiterated Myanmar’s readiness and looked forward to further strengthening cooperation between the two countries. The Myanmar side is also in a process of considering the possibility of opening a Consulate-General in Chiang Mai in the future.