AMED Meet Makes Thailand a Venue for Asian Integration

The ongoing 3rd Asia and Middle East Dialogue (AMED III) which is held at Bangkok has catapulted Thailand as a major business hub in the continent. The meeting scheduled between 15 and 16 December attracted 18 foreign ministers and several other top officials from AMEDs 49 member states.

The Prime Minister of Thailand Abhisit Vejjajiva on his inaugural speech informed that Asia should not only rely on the West but through the AMED, members could look East-to-East partnership to seek technological advancement and economic co-operation. With a combined GDP of $8tn and about 60 percent global reserves, Asia and Middle East had the competitive edge to generate a sustainable economic growth and development, he added.

As if to a response on Doha Round stalemate, the Thailand premier expressed, We could use each other as channels to gain more access to world markets and export our goods and products to other parts of the world through the FTAs and many regional and sub-regional trade frameworks.

The two-day meet is expected to cover the major challenges in front of both regions including counter-terrorism, piracy, energy and food security, and climate change. The participants of the discussion will be from a cross-section of people such as leading academics, policy makers and experts.

The host nation is likely to showcase the country has a promising destination for investments and tourism. The event also extend varied sectors of Thailand an opportunity to learn and understand about religion, culture, tradition and society of the people of Middle East as well as the other AMED member states.

The Thai Foreign Ministry spokesman Thani Thiongpakdi said the dialogue was launched in 2005 as a Singaporean initiative to provide the missing link in such regional get-togethers because Middle Eastern countries were excluded from other Asia-led forums, such as the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum and the Asia European Economic Summit. The ministerial meeting is held biennially in venues alternating between Asia and the Middle East.

Jose Roy