SINGAPORE, Nov 13 (TNA) - Thai Minister of Foreign Affairs Kasit Piromya (pictured) said he was confident that the diplomatic rift between Thailand and Cambodia would not affect the summit between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the United States on Sunday.
ASEAN and the US will hold a summit on November 15 after the APEC meeting in Singapore.
The ASEAN-US event will be co-chaired by Thai Prime Minister Abhisit and US President Barack Obama. Thailand serves as the ASEAN chair until the end of the year.
Mr Kasit, who accompanied Mr Abhisit to attend the 17th APEC leaders' summit, told reporters before leaving for Singapore that he wanted to affirm that the row was not cause by Thailand and that therefore, it was up to the Cambodian government to decide what to do next.
He said the problems were incurred by two families which ignore the benefits of the two nations. Thailand’s government does not wish to hurt anyone and wants the Cambodian people to live happily.
He said other ASEAN members have expressed concern over the diplomatic standoff which is normal as ASEAN is like a family when some family members have an argument, others would inevitably be worried and want to help find a solution.
Meanwhile, Agence France Presse (AFP) news agency quoted a Cambodian Foreign Ministry official as saying that Cambodia will not address the diplomatic row involving fugitive former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra at this weekend's historic ASEAN-US summit
"The Cambodian government will not mix the issue between Cambodia and Thailand with the first ASEAN-US summit in Singapore this coming Sunday and we also request that other ASEAN leaders not to mix this issue with the US-ASEAN summit," the official was quoted as saying.
In related development, a Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) spokesman denied reports claiming that Thailand had sent a aircraft to spy over Cambodian soil.
He said the report was not true, and that the RTAF had not training flights scheduled which might have been mistaken for a reconnaissance flight at the time claimed in the report.
The RTAF has strict regulations and procedures for flying aircraft and would not encroach over any neighbouring countries.
The diplomatic spat between Thailand and Cambodia flared when Cambodia appointed Thailand’s convicted on-the-run former premier Thaksin Shinawatra as a very high profile ‘economic adviser’.
Thailand reacted to the Cambodian appointment by recalling its ambassador to Phnom Penh and revoking a memorandum of understanding on overlapping maritime boundaries by Thailand and Cambodia signed in 2001.
The Cambodian government reacted to Thailand's retaliatory move by withdrawing its ambassador to Bangkok as a reciprocal action and presenting an already prepared note flatly rejecting Thailand's request regarding Mr Thaksin only minutes after Thai diplomats presented the extradition papers to officials at Cambodia's foreign affairs ministry Wednesday morning. (TNA)
ASEAN and the US will hold a summit on November 15 after the APEC meeting in Singapore.
The ASEAN-US event will be co-chaired by Thai Prime Minister Abhisit and US President Barack Obama. Thailand serves as the ASEAN chair until the end of the year.
Mr Kasit, who accompanied Mr Abhisit to attend the 17th APEC leaders' summit, told reporters before leaving for Singapore that he wanted to affirm that the row was not cause by Thailand and that therefore, it was up to the Cambodian government to decide what to do next.
He said the problems were incurred by two families which ignore the benefits of the two nations. Thailand’s government does not wish to hurt anyone and wants the Cambodian people to live happily.
He said other ASEAN members have expressed concern over the diplomatic standoff which is normal as ASEAN is like a family when some family members have an argument, others would inevitably be worried and want to help find a solution.
Meanwhile, Agence France Presse (AFP) news agency quoted a Cambodian Foreign Ministry official as saying that Cambodia will not address the diplomatic row involving fugitive former Thai premier Thaksin Shinawatra at this weekend's historic ASEAN-US summit
"The Cambodian government will not mix the issue between Cambodia and Thailand with the first ASEAN-US summit in Singapore this coming Sunday and we also request that other ASEAN leaders not to mix this issue with the US-ASEAN summit," the official was quoted as saying.
In related development, a Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) spokesman denied reports claiming that Thailand had sent a aircraft to spy over Cambodian soil.
He said the report was not true, and that the RTAF had not training flights scheduled which might have been mistaken for a reconnaissance flight at the time claimed in the report.
The RTAF has strict regulations and procedures for flying aircraft and would not encroach over any neighbouring countries.
The diplomatic spat between Thailand and Cambodia flared when Cambodia appointed Thailand’s convicted on-the-run former premier Thaksin Shinawatra as a very high profile ‘economic adviser’.
Thailand reacted to the Cambodian appointment by recalling its ambassador to Phnom Penh and revoking a memorandum of understanding on overlapping maritime boundaries by Thailand and Cambodia signed in 2001.
The Cambodian government reacted to Thailand's retaliatory move by withdrawing its ambassador to Bangkok as a reciprocal action and presenting an already prepared note flatly rejecting Thailand's request regarding Mr Thaksin only minutes after Thai diplomats presented the extradition papers to officials at Cambodia's foreign affairs ministry Wednesday morning. (TNA)
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