Ministry of Foreign Affairs Hosts the 3^rd Thai – South African Senior Officials Meeting

On 24 June 2014, Mr. Narong Sasitorn, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, co-chaired the Third Thai – South African Senior Officials Meeting with Dr. Anil Sooklal, Deputy Director – General of the Department of International Relations and Cooperation of the Republic of South Africa, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand.   

The Deputy Permanent Secretary briefed the South African delegation on the recent political developments in Thailand. He explained the compelling rationale for the takeover of the national administration on 22 May 2014, the necessity to maintain the Martial Law and notable improvements of political atmosphere after 22 May, as peace and order has now been restored. He reiterated Thailand’s firm commitment to returning to a democratic path in accordance with the NCPO’s 3-stage Roadmap, scheduled to be completed within one and a half year from now on. He also informed that the NCPO has received high ratings from opinion polls conducted by well-know independent polls.  He also emphasized that Thailand wishes to remain actively engaged with the international community.

The head of the South African Delegation expressed his support and understanding on the recent development in Thailand, which is at a challenging time and expressed his confidence that Thailand would soon return to constitutional democracy.  He also reiterated that although South Africa does not agree with an undemocratic change of Government, disengagement is not a way out and that South Africa is pleased to learn that the NCPO has a clear roadmap to return Thailand to a fully-functioning democracy.

The Deputy Permanent Secretary noted that Thailand’s foreign policy and commitment to strengthening cooperation with Africa remains unchanged. Recognizing Thailand’s active role in the region, Deputy Director – General Sooklal also reaffirmed South Africa’s commitment to continue working closely with Thailand in all important areas to keep the momentum of close collaboration between the two countries steady.

Both sides agreed to expand cooperation in the fields of trade and investment, technical cooperation, tourism, education as well as to support each other in the multilateral fora. Some potential areas of future cooperation were identified, namely construction, infrastructure development, agro-industry, tourism and related industries.

Both sides also exchanged views on regional issues such as the recent developments in ASEAN, the changing geo-politics in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, prevailing conflicts in Africa, especially the rising threats of terrorism in Africa.

The meeting was held in a warm and friendly atmosphere, which reflected the close friendship between Thailand and South Africa. After the meeting, the Deputy Permanent Secretary hosted a traditional Thai luncheon in honour of the South African delegation.

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                                                                                                                                                                                                                              26 June 2014