The Foreign Minister of The Kingdom of Thailand, Dr Kasit Piromya paid an official visit to the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste on 13-15 January 2011.
The purpose of this visit was to strengthen further more the diplomatic and bilateral relations between both countries .
On the occasion, the Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Zacarias Albano da Costa received in his office for a “Tete a Tete” conversation his counterpart the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, Dr Kasit Piromya
Followed by a bilateral meeting where both ministers for Foreign Affairs and delegations discussed areas of cooperation between both countries and matters of importance for the region ;
After the bilateral meeting in a Press Conference, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya confirmed Thailand’s support for Timor-Leste’s membership in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), given the country’s location in Southeast Asia, and its leadership in promoting democracy and human rights recognized by the international community
Minister Zacarias Albano da Costa said that the “Meeting was very positive and that Foreign Minister Kasit has assured that Thailand is ready to support the development of Timor-Leste in areas such as : Exchange of experiences in economic and social development: Timor-Leste is rich in natural resources; however, the country still needs proper management and is currently drafting it’s national development strategy; Support for human resource development in the agricultural sector: Thailand implemented training for Timorese agricultural officials on the philosophy of Sufficiency Economy and its application in a pilot village project; Export of rice to Timor-Leste; Sharing of Thailand’s experiences as a regional processing center for migrants, displaced persons and victims of human trafficking”.
Furthermore, Minister Kasit Piromya said that “Thailand is ready to cooperate with Timor-Leste in infrastructure development in sectors such as ports, shipbuilding, travel, trade, investment, and fisheries. In order to promote and encourage trade and investment in Timor-Leste, Thailand encourages Timor-Leste to organize seminars in Thailand.”
During the visit Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya paid courtsy visits to: President of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste Dr. Jose Ramos-Horta;
President of the National Assembly ,Mr. Fernando La Sama de Araujo;
and Deputy Prime Minister,Dr. Jose Luis Guterres;
Thai Foreign Minister’s visit to the UNMIT Headquarter in Timor-Leste
During the last day of his official visit, Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya paid a visit to the Dili District Police Station, where some Thai police officers serve in UNPOL and UNMIT
Minister Piromya also met with Ms. Ameerah Haq, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Timor-Leste at the Headquarter of the UNMIT (UN Mission in Timor-Leste) in Dili.
