They include Mr. Matti Vanhanen, Prime Minister of Finland, Mrs. Latifah Akharback, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Morocco, Mr. Milan Rocen, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Montenegro, Mr. Kim Yong Nam, Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Mrs. Benita Ferrero-Waldner, EU Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighbourhood Policy, and Mr. Deng Alor Kuol, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Sudan.

During the meeting with Prime Minister of Finland, the Prime Minister of Finland propose an exchange of supports between Finland’s candidature for a non-permanent member of the UNSC for the term 2013-2014 and Thailand’s candidatures for a non-permanent member of the UNSC for the term 2017-2018 and a member of HRC for the term 2010-2013. Both sides then discussed further cooperation between the two countries in which Thailand is interested in closer cooperation in the field of infrastructure, especially information and telecommunication. Foreign Minister Kasit also added that Finland is well known for its good governance, transparency, and participation of the people. Therefore, Thailand is interested in sharing Finland’s experience in further promoting its democratic ways.

In his discussion with Mrs. Latifah Akharback, the Moroccan Minister of State brought up the close relations between the two monarchies as well as her admiration of Thailand and the royal family. She also informed the Thai Foreign Minister that the Morocco government is interested in giving scholarships to Thai students to study Islam in Morocco, which is another step in strengthening interfaith relations. The two ministers also discussed the exchange of visits, during which Foreign Minister Kasit asked that both sides arrange a meeting in the near future to conclude and sign pending agreements and memorandums of understanding. This could be in Thailand or Morocco. They also discussed further economic cooperation as both Thailand and Morocco are situated in prime locations in their respective regions. Morocco is also full of potentials, be them stable political system, existence of economic development zones, and tariff exemption for export to European Union. Therefore, Thailand is interested in investing in Morocco to setup a production base for export to European Union. However, Foreign Minister Kasit was of the view that both countries should have a clearer goal and plan of action. For example, both countries could focus on trade and tourism. To this, Foreign Minister Kasit added that Thailand stands ready to share its experience in tourism industry with Morocco.

During talk with his Montenegrin counterpart, the Montenegrin Foreign Minister mentioned Montenegro’s involvement in NAM, explaining that as a part of former Yugoslavia who was one of the founding members of NAM Montenegro feels very attached to NAM. The Montenegrin Foreign Minister then expressed his appreciation for Thailand’s recognition of Montenegro’s independence back in 2006, one of the very first who did so. He also added that Montenegrin tourists are interested in visiting Thailand. Foreign Minister Kasit also took this opportunity to brief his Montenegrin counterpart on political situation in Thailand and expressed his wish to further strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries.

In his bilateral talk with Mr. Kim Yong Nam, Foreign Minister Kasit reiterated his invitation for the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea to attend the 16th ARF Meeting in Phuket, while emphasizing the ASEAN’s wish to bridge North Korea with the rest of the world. North Korea could use the ARF as a fora to express its view and constructively engage in a dialogue with other countries. Mr. Yong Nam agreed to convey the message to the Foreign Minister and added that Thailand and North Korea have always had special relations. Mr. Yong Nam, himself, had been granted audiences with His Majesty the King on many occasions and Her Royal Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn had graciously paid many visits to North Korea.

During the meeting with the EU Commissioner, both sides discussed many topics of common interests. The meeting was a follow-up to the commissioner’s visit to Thailand prior to the ASEM Meeting in Hanoi, during which she paid a courtesy call on the Prime Minister of Thailand as well met with Foreign Minister Kasit on the sideline of the ASEM Meeting. Issues raised by the EU Commissioner include the European Commission’s concern over the situation in Myanmar and the political situation in Thailand. The commissioner added that Thailand is an important country in the region, for this reason democracy in Thailand is thus crucial to the region. In his reply, Foreign Minister Kasit reassured the EU Commissioner on Thailand’s democracy ways and steps taken by the current government to further promote its democracy and encourage people’s participation while also improving the quality of life for all. The EU Commissioner also took this opportunity to request for Thailand’s support of her candidature for Director-General of UNESCO in elections to be held October 2009.

As for his bilateral talk with the Sudanese Foreign Minister, Foreign Minister Kasit reaffirmed the deployment of Thai peacekeeping force to Sudan to help with the UN’s peace keeping operation, adding that the Thai peacekeeping force is also well known for its civil actions such as rural development and providing all around assistance to those in need. He also added that, to Thailand, Sudan is one of the major countries in Africa with many potentials still waiting to be explored. However, there is still some need for further development of the country’s infrastructure and Thailand is interested in a trilateral cooperation with Sudan and the Gulf countries whereby Thailand contributes the know-how and its experience. This is especially promising in the area of agriculture with Sudan’s rich natural resources. On this, Thailand wishes to help Sudan further develop its agricultural sector and turn itself into the region’s kitchen.