Foreign Minister Hor Nam Hong will co-chair a Thai-Cambodian summit later this month in which “all aspects” of bilateral relations will be open for discussion, Thai Embassy and Foreign Ministry officials said Tuesday.
The “joint committee” meeting will run from Jan 31 to Feb 2 in Siem Reap, a Thai embassy official said. Thai Foreign Minister Surin Pitsuwan will co-chair the meeting with Hor Nam Hong.
“All aspects of relations will be considered—political, border issues, trade, finance, tourism, culture, everything,” one Thai Embassy official said.
The joint committee was set up in 1995 to improve relations between the two countries. The committee last met in March, 1997, according to the Thai embassy.
Officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the two sides are still hammering out their agenda. But one ministry official said cooperation on technical issues in trade and finance, transportation, energy, and cross border issues might be discussed.
The Thai Embassy official said his government may discuss holding another meeting of the Thai-Cambodian Joint Boundary Committee, which held inconclusive talks in July to try and resolve lingering border disputes. They also will discuss the economic situation and a Thai program that grants scholarships to Cambodian students.
Scheduled talks last year were postponed several times, first due to Cambodian-Laos discussions, then because of Angkor 2000 celebration, and finally because the Prime Minister of Japan is scheduled to visit Cambodia January 10-12, a Thai Embassy official said.
