PM Abhisit arrives in Pittsburgh for G-20 summit Friday

PITTSBURGH, Sept 25 (TNA) – Thailand’s Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva arrived in America’s steel capital of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on Thursday to attend the Group of 20 (G-20) Pittsburgh Summit 2009 in his capacity as chair of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Friday.

With other international leaders PM Abhisit attended a welcome party hosted by President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle.

Pittsburgh is known colloquially as “The City of Bridges” and “The Steel City” for its many bridges and former preeminence as America’s primary iron smelting and steel manufacturing base.

Mr Abhisit left New York for Pittsburgh on a private flight Thursday afternoon, where he held bilateral talks with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the Westin Hotel, discussing ASEAN’s posture toward the G-20.

Thailand is participating in the summit in its capacity as chair of ASEAN while Indonesia is a  member of both ASEAN and the G-20.

At the G-20 summit, Mr Abhisit is expected to focus his participation by exchanging views and experience from an ASEAN perspective, particularly on post-economic crisis policies.

He will focus on the success of ASEAN’s Chiang Mai Initiative (CMI) which is an initiative under the ASEAN+3 framework which is preparing for the creation of a network of Bilateral Swap Arrangements (BSAs) among the ASEAN+3 countries.

After the 1997 Asian financial crisis, ASEAN countries plus China, South Korea and Japan began the initiative to manage regional short-term liquidity problems and to facilitate the work of other international financial arrangements and organizations, including the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Regarding global economic revival, Mr Abhisit will discuss ASEAN’s experience in dealing with the world economic crisis.

Thailand’s government and financial community expect that the global economy can recover in 2010, and that ASEAN will strengthen its cooperation in the field of food security and investment.

The summit will also consider the necessity of economic stimulus measures, plans to deal with a new round of economic crisis, reforming international monetary and financial institutions, and other issues of concern such as food security.

Mr Abhisit wished to see more active participation of developing countries in dealing with the economic crisis at the international level.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian president said it will be a good opportunity for ASEAN to express its stance in the world arena.

Before leaving New York, Mr Abhisit met Rev Jesse Jackson, an American civil rights activist and a voice of public conscience and Thai-American fashion designer Thakoon Panichgul who has designed gowns for America’s first lady Michelle Obama.

Mr Abhisit will return to New York to address the United Nations General Assembly on Saturday before returning to Thailand. (TNA)