Govt backs Seoul peace plan initiative
Talks with Latin America to boost ties
BUSAN, SOUTH KOREA: Thailand is ready to support South Korea’s Berlin Initiative to find a peaceful solution to the simmering tension on the Korean Peninsula amid Pyongyang’s escalating missile and nuclear threat, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
“We said we are willing to support [the initiative] to lessen confrontation, increase negotiations and eventually eradicate nuclear weapons from the Korean Peninsula,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Virasakdi Futrakul told the Bangkok Post yesterday.
He was attending the 8th Foreign Ministers’ Meeting of the Forum for East AsiaLatin America Cooperation (FEALAC) at Apec House in this South Korean port city.
The Berlin Initiative was outlined by South Korean President Moon Jae-in during a speech at Berlin’s Old City Hall on July 6 when he was invited to speak at the Korber Foundation there.
He set out a five-point plan for reconciliation, including the signing of a peace treaty, and vowed to dissolve remnants of the Cold War to establish lasting peace on the peninsula.
While stressing the need for cooperation based on mutual respect, he cited Germany’s reunification process in 1990.
Meanwhile, Mr Virasakdi said the ministry conducted meetings with Latin American countries including El Salvador, Colombia, Panama and Argentina eyeing closer cooperation.
The Foreign Ministry considers FEALAC, an association of 36 countries, the “most important” platform to cement ties with Latin American countries, he said.
Mr Moon said during its opening session that “if you look at the map of the 36 countries, you will notice a big empty space that is North Korea”.
“I believe when FEALAC take interest in this issue and make a concerted effort together to solve this issue, we can truly then achieve peace in Asia and in the world faster,” he said.
South Korea’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Kang Kyung-wha added during the plenary session that “North Korea should not be under any illusion that nuclear weapons will guarantee its security”.
“Latin America, the first-ever nuclearweapon-free zone in world history, and Southeast Asia, a region strongly committed to nuclear nonproliferation, are ideal partners in finding a way to solve this pressing issue,” she said.
Mr Virasakdi said the 36 countries finally agreed on a plan of action covering all areas of cooperation within the FEALAC framework.
This involves setting up a trilateral chair comprising the last country to chair the forum (Costa Rica), the current chair countries (South Korea and Guatemala) and the next chair (Laos), he said.
“The trilateral meeting ... will be arranged to coincide with the UN meeting in the United States,” he said, adding it will become an annual rather than twoyear affair.
The FEALAC Fund is another notable development that can be used to facilitate cooperation projects between the two regions, for example transportation connectivity.
South Korea was the first to invest in the fund with a US$1 million (3.2 million baht) contribution.
Mr Virasakdi said he also met with Carlos Castaneda, El Salvador’s vice minister of foreign affairs, integration and economic promotion, as well as with Ms Patti Londono, vice minister of foreign affairs for Colombia, among other representatives from the region. El Salvador is seeking more technical cooperation via the Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA).
The two nations have signed an agreement on visa exemptions for holders of diplomatic and official passports for the first time in their history.
“[That] is interesting because we have not connected for the past 30 years, and this is the first time they have invited us to sign such an agreement,” Mr Virasakdi said.
The meeting with Colombia saw both sides commit to cooperating in agriculture, tourism and combating organized crime, he said. Colombia accepted Thailand’s invitation to attend the 2nd Meeting of Bilateral Consultations in Bangkok later this year.
“Colombia is interested in importing cassava and tapioca from Thailand,”said the deputy minister of foreign affairs.
“I’ve informed them we are ready for an inspection by one of their representatives and I have invited the vice minister to join us in November.”
“They are also interested in our Mae Fah Luang Foundation’s crop-substitution program and they want a similar MOU to the one we signed with Peru on transnational crime including our efforts against drug trafficking,” he added.
Panama urged Thailand to open an embassy within its borders to enhance investment cooperation.
The country plans to develop the Panama Canal thereby creating an opportunity for Thailand to open a regional warehouse in a free trade zone there situation by the canal.