Russia may become alternative gas supplier to Thailand.

27/11 Tass 95

BANGKOK, November 27 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia could become an alternative
gas supplier to Thailand, Thai Foreign Minister Kasit Piromya said on
Friday, responding to the question of Itar-Tass, when he commented on the
results of a meeting of the mixed Russian-Thai commission for bilateral
cooperation.

According to Kasit Piromya, "Thailand is interested in oil and gas
deliveries from Russia : At present we are considering a possibility of
importing the raw materials, and we would like our cooperation to develop
into concrete actions as soon as possible."
Sergei Sobyanin, head of the Russian government staff and co-chairman
of the Russian part of the commission, praised the results of the fourth
meeting of the commission, held after a seven-year break. "Now we shall be
able to regularly coordinate our actions on all spheres of relations
between our countries both in business and in the humanitarian sphere," he
said. Sobyanin stressed that a political and economic dialogue between the
two countries was actively going on. Thailand is Russia's most important
trade partner among the ASEAN member countries. "Thai-Russian cooperation
should be brought to a new, higher level," he added.
The two parties signed on Friday a joint plan of actions for boosting
cooperation between Russia and Thailand for the period of 2010-2014. Aside
from it, an agreement was signed on document operations between the VTB
Bank and the Export-Import Bank of Thailand, together with an agreement on
cooperation between the business councils of Russia and Thailand.
According to Sobyanin, the parties reiterated their desire "to deepen
cooperation in the sphere of trade, high technologies, the
military-technical sphere, education and tourism." Participants in the
meeting pointed out that power engineering was one of the most promising
spheres of cooperation. "We intend to boost the work of the Joint
Coordinating Committee, with which Gazprom, Vneshekonombank and the PTT
Company of Thailand cooperate," Sobyanin said. The parties "are going to
effectively settle the problems, which they inherited from the past."
Sobyanin believes the time has come for settling Russia's debt to Thailand
for rice deliveries in 1990-1991. The sum is 40 million dollars.
According to his information, preparations have been started for a
visit of Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva to Russia, which is
scheduled for 2010.
-0-rom/ast