JOINT PRESS RELEASE
FOR THE OFFICIAL VISIT TO THE PHILIPPINES OF
GENERAL TANASAK PATIMAPRAGORN
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF THE KINGDOM OF THAILAND
6-7 APRIL 2015
1. Secretary of Foreign Affairs Albert F. Del Rosario received His Excellency General Tanasak Patimapragorn, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, from 6-7 April 2015 as part of his introductory visit to ASEAN member countries. The two Foreign Ministers had frank, candid, productive and in-depth discussions on bilateral as well as international issues of mutual interest.
On Bilateral Cooperation
2. The two Foreign Ministers recalled the long history of friendship between the Philippines and Thailand and expressed satisfaction with the level of cooperation in the fields of trade, investment, defense, agriculture and technical cooperation. They likewise highlighted the warm relations between the two peoples and noted that people-to-people relations further enhance the already excellent Philippines-Thailand relations.
3. Secretary of Foreign Affairs Del Rosario conveyed the Philippines’ deep appreciation to the Thai Royal Family, the Royal Thai Government and the private sector for their humanitarian support for the victims of Typhoon Hagupit (Ruby). He also expressed gratitude to Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn for including three (3) Philippine schools in the Collaboration Project on Children and Youth Development under the Her Royal Highness’ Royal Patronage.
4. In order to further deepen the collaboration between the two countries, the two Foreign Ministers expressed their commitment to strengthen existing bilateral mechanisms such as the Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC), the Joint Commission for Military Cooperation (JCMC) and the Joint Trade Commission (JTC). Both sides agreed to convene these mechanisms within the year.
5. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Tanasak extended an invitation to Secretary of Foreign Affairs Del Rosario to visit Thailand for the 6th Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) Meeting, which is scheduled to be held in the second half of 2015.
6. Both sides agreed to explore cooperation in (1) education through non-traditional teaching methods including the use of ICT (2) combatting illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs and (3) agriculture.
7. The two Foreign Ministers looked forward to the implementation of the Joint Partnership Program which supports capacity building for women entrepreneurship in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Viet Nam, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Timor-Leste.
On Regional and International Cooperation
8. The two Foreign Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to continue cooperation towards the forging of an ASEAN Community and upholding the centrality of ASEAN in the evolving regional architecture.
9. Secretary of Foreign Affairs Del Rosario expressed satisfaction for Thailand’s pro-active co-chairmanship of the ASEAN-China Senior Officials Meeting and Joint Working Group Meeting on the Implementation of the Declaration of the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea. He also updated Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Tanasak on the developments in the West Philippine Sea and the case before the Arbitral Tribunal.
10. The two Foreign Ministers noted developments in the Middle East and expressed their commitment to cooperate in the evacuation of their nationals from Yemen. They agreed to further strengthen coordination between their Foreign Ministries to ensure the safety and well-being of their nationals in strife-torn countries in the Middle East.
11. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Tanasak expressed his appreciation to Secretary Del Rosario for the warm hospitality and excellent arrangements provided to him and his delegation during the visit to the Philippines.
For further information, please contact the Press Division, Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tel.02-6435170, Fax.02-6435169, E-mail: div0704@mfa.go.th