NAY PYI TAW, Nov 12 — Prime Minister Gen Prayut Chan-o-cha supported the ASEAN-Japan communique and Japanese investment in ASEAN connectivity.
Attending the 17th ASEAN-Japan Summit at the Myanmar International Convention Centre in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday, Gen Prayut said Japan is a key dialogue partner and played important economic roles in ASEAN.
Japan is the third most important trading partner and second biggest investor in ASEAN, he said.
He encouraged Japan to invest in infrastructure, including railways, deep-sea ports and special economic zones in the region.
Gen Prayut said Thailand backed the joint ASEAN and Japan communique calling for working together to suppress of terrorism and transnational crime.
To this effect, he recommended preventive and suppression action, law enforcement, information exchange and personnel training.
The Thai prime minister also called for regional preparation to cope with disasters and reduce their risks. He considers disasters as a new security issue of ASEAN and supports Japan’s role as host of the 3rd UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction next year.
Earlier yesterday, Gen Prayut met on a bilateral basis with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He praised his Indian counterpart’s economic development policies including the “Smart City” and the “Made in India” policies to attract foreign investment.
Gen Prayut discussed routes to connect Thailand, Myanmar and India and deep-sea port and industrial estate projects in Dawei, Myanmar that he said would link ASEAN and South Asian markets.
The Indian prime minister showed interest in and promised to help speed up implementation of the projects.
Both national leaders agreed with Thai-Indian free trade and an end to tax duplication to support trade and investment in government and private sectors.
They acknowledged that Thailand and India had had security cooperation for a long time, referring to cooperation on intelligence and joint marine patrols.
They hope the armies of both countries will have a joint military exercise in the name of friendship in the near future.
