PM secures Thai support for ASEAN dialogue partnership

ON BOARD HIS SPECIAL PLANE—Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz has said Thailand has assured Pakistan full support in its efforts to seek full dialogue partnership in ASEAN besides supporting Pakistan stance on reforms in UN Security Council.
He was talking to the journalists on board his special plane Monday. Prime Minister held his visit to Malaysia and South Korea has remained very successful. The two countries have agreed on need to promote bilateral trade and economic ties with Pakistan.
Earlier, the Prime Minister and his delegation was accorded warm welcome when they arrived Bangkok airport. Thai Deputy Prime Minister received Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and his entourage.
A one and a half hour one on one meeting took place between Shaukat Aziz and his Thai counterpart, Thaksan Talking to the journalists, the Prime Minister said Thailand has held out full assurance to support Pakistan efforts in attaining full dialogue partnership in ASEAN.
Shaukat Aziz pointed out Pakistan and Thailand had agreed on Free Trade Agreement (FTA). More steps will be taken to give it a practical shape. Thailand will make investment in Pakistan for promotion of tourism, excavation of places of Buddhists and their renovation and look after, he added. Trade group of Thailand SEEPI will invest in the areas of fisheries and packaging in Pakistan.
The volume of bilateral trade between Pakistan and Thailand stands at $350 million, he told. Both the sides have agreed on enhancing it, he added. Pakistan and Thailand have unanimity of views with regard to reforms in UN Security council, he indicated. Both the countries want that number of non permanent members be increased in security council, he stated.
During the meeting the matters pertaining to Iran nuclear issue, war on terror and reconstruction of Afghanistan were discussed, he informed. There is need to reactivate SAARC on the pattern of ASEAN, he stressed. These three countries have backed Pakistan look east vision. They have appreciated Pakistan stance on important regional and global issues, he added.
With Korean leadership discussion were held on provision of loans, partnership in mega projects and cooperation in the areas of electronics, engineering and energy, he told. Korea will extend assistance to Pakistan in these sectors, he indicated. Malaysia will make investment in Pakistan in the fields of construction, power generation and man power, he informed.
I have talked to the leadership of both these countries for enhancing cooperation in defence sector and these countries will promote ties in defence field with Pakistan, he remarked. He indicated that next meeting of Economic Islamic Forum will be held in Pakistan. “ I will visit Russia by the end of October, he told.
Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra would visit Pakistan in December this year for bilateral talks that would focus on speeding up ongoing discussion on signing a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Pakistan and Thailand. “During my visit to Pakistan, we will hold talks on bilateral relations, including FTA, ASEAN and regional issues,” he said while talking to reporters along with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz after their one-on-one meeting.
Prime Minister Aziz made a brief stopover in Thailand at the invitation of his Thai counterpart on his way back home from six-day visit to South Korea and Malaysia, who received him in the Khon Kaen city where he was having a meeting with his cabinet ministers. He described his talks with Prime Minister Aziz as “ very very good and fruitful” that covered entire gamut of multi-faceted ties between Pakistan and Thailand.
The Thai Premier assured the Prime Minister his country’s full support to Pakistan’s bid for a Full Dialogue Partner with the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Pakistan currently has a status of sectoral partner on the grouping. Pakistan’s request for ASEAN’s membership may come up for discussion when the grouping meets in Kuala Lumpur in December this year. All ASEAN members are on board vis-à-vis Pakistan’s efforts for the full dialogue partner who are fully backing the country’s bid for entering the strong economic block.
The two leaders particularly focused on increasing their bilateral trade which currently stood at around 323 million US dollars. Pakistan mainly exports rice, sports and surgical goods, cotton fabrics and precious stones to Thailand while its imports from the country includes chemical products, polymer, synthetics, synthetics fibre, autoparts, plastic products, air-conditioners, refrigerators and rubber products.
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz told reporters that he also discussed with his Thai counterpart the ongoing UN reforms, Pakistan’s status with ASEAN and signing FTA as soon as possible. “We are trying to upgrade our status with ASEAN to a full dialogue partner with Thailand’s help and Prime Minister Thaksin has assured full support of his country in this regard,” the Prime Minister added.
Prime Minister Aziz said Pakistan was also seeking Thailand’s support for developing its tourism sectors as the country had Buddha heritage sites. He said Prime Minister Thaksin’s visit to Pakistan in December will take forward the negotiations on FTA to conclude the agreement at the earliest that will open up a window of new opportunities for the private sector to access each other’s market.
The Prime Minister said that many Malaysian companies were already operating in Pakistan and the visit would further speed up the process of cooperation between the countries, which enjoy excellent cordial relations. Both leaders hoped that the FTA would give a new fillip to their bilateral trades and further boost their economic ties.
Prime Minister Thaksin would also inaugurate One Village One Product exhibition, an idea that came from Thailand. The Prime Minister said during the meeting they also discussed situation in the region and various challenges facing the world. “We have common agreement on all issues because both the countries want peace, development and prosperity,” he added. Negotiations on FTA with Thailand began during Prime Minister Aziz’s visit to Bangkok in May this year. “We are trying to integrate our economy with Southeast Asian countries whose economies are fast growing. We want to be part of the process being undertaken in that region,” foreign office spokesman Naeem Khan said while adding, it would facilitate flow of Pakistani goods to the region.
Besides Thailand, Pakistan is currently negotiating FTA with Singapore and Malaysian, with which the country signed the Early Harvest Programme during Prime Minister’s visit to Kuala Lumpur ended Monday. Khan said after signing FTAs with these countries, Pakistan would try to conclude a similar agreement with ASEAN as a whole
Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz was accorded a very warm welcome Monday when he made a brief stopover here on his way to Pakistan. The Prime Minister made the stopover at the request of Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra at the conclusion of his six day visit to Malaysia and Korea.
He was received at the airport by Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Surakiard. Young girls, arrived in their traditional dresses danced to the Thai folk tunes and presented him bouquets.
The Prime Minister will hold talks with his Thai counterpart and discuss bilateral matters and issues of regional importance. Earlier, the Prime Minister was seen off at the Kaula Lumpur air port by Deputy Foreign Minister of Malaysia.—Online