Thailand to Turkey | Congratulation and Relationship

[Bossza007]

To: <Adem Şahin, President of the Republic of Turkey> Colton

From: <Thaksin Shinawatra, Prime Minister of the Republic of Thailand>

Subject: Message of Congratulation to the President of the Republic of Turkey and reestablishing of diplomatic relationship

Security Type: Secure Encrypted Method - Protect by NIA Counter-Intelligence Service - The decryption method is sent separately via fax

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Dear President Şahin,

I sincerely congratulate you on being chosen by the Republic of Turkey's free populace. Please accept my sincere wish as you take on the new role of leading this country out of the post-war era. I want to make clear that the Republic of Thailand wishes to resume diplomatic relations with the Republic of Turkey and reassure you of this. We were enemies because we couldn't agree on anything during the United Coalition War in the Middle East. I hope that time has passed and that we have prepared to move forward for our nations. Thailand, as a key player in Asia, we have closely observed Turkey after the war ended, and we learned many from it. Turkey's Economy has gone into a depression era. Over 13% of the population are unemployed, while there are crimes in every corner of the country. Your situation in Healthcare is concerning, and we have seen this caused much death before the war. This subject should also be your goal to improve the system. At last, I want to ask you frankly myself. What is your plan to bring Turkey out of the Depression and make a headline of The Great Turkish Recovery?

Sincerely
Thaksin Shinawatra
Prime Minister
Republic of Thailand

 

[Colton]

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To: <Thaksin Shinawatra, Prime Minister of the Republic of Thailand> Bossza007
From: <Adem Şahin, President of the Republic of Turkey>
Subject: RE: Message of Congratulation to the President of the Republic of Turkey and reestablishing of diplomatic relationship
Security: Encrypted

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Dear Prime Minister Shinawatra,

I thank you for your message of congratulations. We are aware of the road ahead being a challenging one, and your willingness to resume relations with our country is greatly appreciated. As you have said in your message, we have many issues facing our nation, and while I do not want to get into the finer details of our plans to deal with these situations, I will attempt to provide a summary of our path forward.

First, we must get the rampant crime that is plaguing our people under control. We will do this via a variety of methods - more enforcement to quell the unrest since the war, getting looting and other street crimes under control, investing in our economy to get these people jobs, etc. This flows nicely into the second part, which is decreasing our unemployment by investing in our economy, and creating jobs for people who otherwise may be forced to turn to crime. And lastly, we are pushing more money into our healthcare system in order to hopefully correct the failures that are currently present.

That is all the insight on such that I can give at the moment, but I know that, as we re-establish ourselves in the international community, we will get through these issues.

Regards,
Adem Şahin
President of the Republic of Turkey

 

[Bossza007]

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To: <Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey> Colton

From: <TURAMB@mfa.mail.go.th>

Subject: Meeting Request between the Thai ambassador and the Turkish Foreign Minister

Security Type: Secure Encrypted Method - Protect by NIA Counter-Intelligence Service - The decryption method is sent separately via fax

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Dear Minister Çavuşoğlu,

I represent Thailand as its ambassador to the Republic of Turkey. First, I would like to thank the Turkish Foreign Ministry for the grand welcome ceremony they gave me in 1998. Since then, I have continued to be eager to strengthen the bonds between our nations and people. I recently traveled back to Turkey due to the reopening of Thailand's diplomatic mission in Ankara. I want to meet with you to discuss cooperation as my first duty serving the Thai government with the new Turkish government. My secretary has contacted you regarding my meeting appointment request for tomorrow at 10 am. Contact me if you think this time works for you.

Sincerely
Piyawat Charanachitta
Thai Ambassador to Turkey
Republic of Thailand

 

[Colton]

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To: <TURAMB@mfa.mail.go.th > Bossza007
From: <Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey>
Subject: RE: Meeting Request between the Thai ambassador and the Turkish Foreign Minister
Security: Encrypted

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Dear Ambassador Charanachitta,

I would be pleased to meet with you at that time to discuss our nation's relationship. I am eager to welcome you back to our country and strengthen the relationship between our new government and your great nation.

Regards,
Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Turkey

 

[Bossza007]

The Thai ambassador would get ready for the meeting with the Turkish foreign minister that morning. Despite his failure in the previous meeting with the former minister from the time before the war, he still hopes to establish a foundation for collaboration between the two nations. He departs his embassy twenty minutes early, making his way from the building to a Thai Foreign Ministry vehicle. He's wearing a navy blue necktie with his formal black suit and holding a brown suitcase with the Thai Foreign Ministry's Crystal Lotus seal in his right hand. He gets in the car in the back seat while his driver greets and wishes him luck for the meeting. Ambassador Piyawat enjoys the spectacular views of Ankara City as he travels the 12 minutes to the Turkish Foreign Ministry, passing by lush parks and government buildings. After stopping at the security checkpoint, his driver enters the perimeter. The Thai ambassador exits the car and enters the ministry building, where he finds a reception. He tells the front desk agent that he will meet with the foreign minister in five minutes. He continues to the minister Avuşolu's office, knocking on the door. "Good morning, minister Çavuşoğlu. It's nice to meet you."

Colton

 

[Colton]

The Minister of Foreign Affairs would check his watch as he entered his office, making sure that he was still on time for the meeting with the Thai ambassador. He was running ahead of schedule, so he checked the briefing summary his staff had prepared for him in the meantime. When a light comes up on his desk phone, he puts the briefing away and takes the message that the Thai ambassador has arrived. At the knock on the door, he answers, inviting the ambassador in and leading him towards his desk. "Good morning, ambassador Charanachitta, it is great to meet you as well. Could I interest you in some tea or coffee before we get down to it?"

Bossza007

 

[Bossza007]

Ambassador Piyawat would go inside the minister's office and sit on a chair at the desk. He would answer. "A cup of tea would will preferable." He will drink his tea first while chit-chatting with the minister to ice break before getting into the subject. "I thank you for the tea, minister Çavuşoğlu. Let's discuss why I am here. Thailand is very eager to encourage investment between our countries. Especially in this time of recovery for Turkey, I am sure your nation will benefit from this agreement. I wish to set up two common mindsets for us to continue our discussion. Firstly, We wish to enhance the longstanding friendship ties between our nations and expand and increase economic contacts, particularly concerning investments by Thai and Turkish businesses. Second, we recognize that agreement on the treatment to be accorded to such investments will boost the flow of money and technology, along with Thailand's and Turkey's economic growth, and that fair and equal handling of investment is desirable. I would love to hear what you think about what I have said. If you agree with me, we can continue to negotiate an agreement on Reciprocal Encouragement and Protection of Investments."

Colton

 

[Colton]

The Minister would have an aide get a tea, drinking coffee himself, and engaged in the chit chat. He would listen to the ambassador before replying. "We certainly appreciate your willingness to extend the hand of friendship in this period for our nation, and indeed, for the world. While, of course, we would want to see the details of such agreements, I think on the whole, we are more than interested in both expanding the friendship between our nations, and increasing investments and trade between our two nations. These are both key points for continuing our process of rebuilding."

Bossza007

 

[Bossza007]

"That's great to hear that you agree with us. We will discuss the context within the agreement, and I will initiate it. I will start presenting what we have in mind for the treaty. First, Thailand and Turkey must promote economic cooperation within their respective legal systems by safeguarding foreign investors' funds on their respective soils. Each country shall permit investments from investors from the other nation, except for the right to exercise any authority granted by its laws or regulations. Second, The current Agreement shall apply to investments owned or controlled by investors of one country made in that country's territory and established per the laws and regulations in effect in that country at the time the investment was made, whether that country was Thailand or Turkey. I will start referring Turkey and Thailand as Contracting Party. Third, the present agreement shall also apply to investments made in the territory of the other Contracting Party by investors of either Contracting Party previous to its entry into force." He pauses. "What I have mentioned will be in our Article 2. What's your opinion?"

Colton

 

[Colton]

He nods. "So to make sure I am properly understanding, this would essentially be allowing business to grow in both our nations by allowing foreign investment. This is something that we can get behind, though I do need some clarification on part of the proposal. When you speak of safeguards, are you talking protective laws or policies for any investments against other investments, or moreso just standard safeguards afforded to any person who invests in our nation? The former would be a bit of an issue, but the latter would be most agreeable."

Bossza007

 

[Bossza007]

"You are on the right track, minister Çavuşoğlu. The investment that the investor made in another Contracting Party is what I'm referring to in the context. When the agreement comes into effect, the investor should be more confident that Thailand or Turkey will safeguard their investment under the respective laws and regulations. Additionally, this benefit will enable commerce and business between our two countries. I hope we are on the same page now, so let's continue to Article three." He gives pauses and sips his tea.

"First, each Contracting Party shall ensure fair and equitable treatment to the investments of investors of the other Contracting Party and shall not impair, by unreasonable or discriminatory measures, the operation, management, maintenance, use, enjoyment sale or liquidation thereof by those investors. | Second, each Contracting Party shall provide security and protection to such investments, which shall in no case be less than that accorded to investments of its investors or investments of investors from any third State, whichever is more favorable to the investor. Each Contracting Party is responsible for adhering to any investment obligations it may have. | Third, I want to discuss charity. The terms of the two preceding paragraphs shall not be understood in such a way that one Contracting Party is obligated to extend to the investors of the other Contracting Party the benefit of any treatment, preference, or privilege resulting from; any existing or future customs unions, economic unions or similar institutions, or on the basis of interim agreements leading to such unions or institutions, or any international agreement or arrangement relating wholly or mainly to taxation on the basis of reciprocity with a third State."

"What do you think?"

Colton

 

[Colton]

The minister would nod. "I think with all of that discussed, especially with the third article, we would find it a most agreeable proposition, one that would be mutually beneficial for our nations. The inclusion of this third article does assuage my concerns, to be certain. Are there further articles that you wish to discuss regarding this agreement? I believe that this would be a good first step for both of us, though I am, of course, open to further discourse and discussion regarding any further articles you may have in mind."

Bossza007

 

[Bossza007]

"Well, I believe you should see the entire document yourself. If you agree with what we have prepared, we can sign the agreement and bring it to our legal procedure." Ambassador Piyawat then hands over papers to the Foreign Minister. Colton

Agreement on Reciprocal Encouragement and Protection of Investments
Between
The Republic of Thailand and the Republic of Turkey​

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The Government of the Republic of Thailand
and
The Government of the Republic of Turkey

Desiring to strengthen the traditional ties of friendship between their countries, to extend and intensify the economic relations between them, particularly for investments by the investors of one Contracting Party in the territory of the other Contracting Party.

Recognizing that Agreement upon the treatment to be accorded to such investments will stimulate the flow of capital and technology and the economic development of the Contracting Parties and that fair and equitable treatment of investment is desirable,

have agreed as follows:

Article 1​

For the present Agreement

(a) 'investor' means:

i. a natural person who is a national of a Contracting Party under its applicable law;
ii. a legal person duly incorporated, constituted or otherwise duly organized under
the applicable laws and regulations of a Contracting Party;​

(b) 'investment' means every kind of asset, such as equity, debt, claims and service and investment contracts and includes:

i. tangible and intangible property, including rights such as mortgages, liens and pledges;
ii. shares of stock or other interests in a company or interests in the assets thereof;
iii. a claim to money or a claim to performance having economic value and
associated with an investment;
iv. industrial property rights, including rights for patents, trademarks, trade names, industrial designs and know-how and goodwill and copyrights;
v. any right conferred by law or contract, and any licences and permits according to law.​

(c) 'territory' includes the maritime areas adjacent to the coast of the State concerned, to which that State may exercise sovereign rights or jurisdiction in those areas according to international law.

(d) 'owned or controlled' means ownership or control that is direct or indirect, including ownership or control exercised through subsidiaries or affiliates, wherever located.

Article 2​

1) Either Contracting Party must promote economic cooperation within their respective legal systems by safeguarding foreign investors' funds on their respective soils. Each country shall permit investments from investors from the other nation, except for the right to exercise any authority granted by its laws or regulations.

2) The current Agreement shall apply to investments owned or controlled by investors of one country made in that country's territory and established per the laws and regulations in effect in that country at the time the investment was made, whether that country was Thailand or Turkey. I will start referring to Turkey and Thailand as Contracting Parties.

3) The present Agreement shall also apply to investments made in the territory of the other Contracting Party by investors of either Contracting Party previous to its entry into force.

Article 3​

1) Each Contracting Party shall ensure fair and equitable treatment to the investments of investors of the other Contracting Party and shall not impair, by unreasonable or discriminatory measures, the operation, management, maintenance, use, enjoyment sale or liquidation thereof by those investors.

2) Each Contracting Party shall provide security and protection to such investments, which shall in no case be less than that accorded to investments of its investors or investments of investors from any third State, whichever is more favourable to the investor. Each Contracting Party is responsible for adhering to any investment obligations it may have.

3) The provisions of paragraphs (1) and (2) shall not be construed to oblige one Contracting Party to extend to the investors of the other Contracting Party the benefit of any treatment, preference or privilege resulting from:

(a) any existing or future customs unions, economic unions or similar institutions, or based on interim agreements leading to such unions or institutions, or
(b) any international agreement or arrangement relating wholly or mainly to taxation based on reciprocity with a third State.​

Article 4​

Each Contracting Party shall permit, to the extent permitted by and in conformity with its relevant laws and regulations, the transfer, without unreasonable restriction or delay, into its country or to the country of the other Contracting Party and in the currency of that country or any freely convertible currency of payments resulting from investments and
in particular the following items:

(a) profits, dividends, capital gains and similar payments;
(b) the proceeds of sale or liquidation of all or any part of the investment;
(c) principal and interest payments arising under a loan agreement;
(d) management, technical assistance, personnel or other fees;
(e) royalty payments.​

Article 5​

Neither Contracting Party shall take any measures depriving, directly or indirectly, investors of the other Contracting Party of their investments unless the following conditions are complied with:

(a) the measures are taken in the public interest and under due process of law;

(b) the measures are not discriminatory;

(c) the measures are accompanied by a provision for the payment of just compensation. Such compensation shall amount to the fair market value of the investment or in the absence of a fair market value the genuine value of the investments affected and shall, to be effective for the investors, be paid and made freely transferable, without unreasonable delay, to the country of which the investors concerned are nationals or to any other country accepted by the Contracting Party concerned and in the currency in which the investment was originally made or in any freely convertible currency, mutually agreed to by the investor and the Contracting Party.​

Article 6​

Investors of the one Contracting Party who suffer losses in respect of their investments in the territory of the other Contracting Party owing to war or other armed conflicts, insurrection or similar events shall be accorded by the latter Contracting Party treatment as regards any measures it adopts concerning such losses, no less favourable than that which that Contracting Party accords to its investors or to investors of any third State, whichever is more favourable to the investors concerned.

Article 7​

If the investments of an investor of the one Contracting Party are insured against noncommercial risks under a system established by law, any subrogation of the insurer into the rights of the said investor according to the terms of such insurance shall be recognized by the other Contracting Party.
The insurer shall not be entitled to exercise any rights other than the rights which the investor would have been entitled to exercise. Disputes between a Contracting Party and an insurer shall be settled per the provisions of Article 8 of this Agreement.

Article 8​

1) For this Article, an investment dispute is defined as a dispute involving:

(a) the interpretation or application of any investment authorization granted by a Contracting Party's foreign investment authority to an investor of the other Contracting Party; or
(b) a breach of any right conferred or created by this Agreement for an investment.​

2) In the event of an investment dispute between a Contracting Party and an investor of the other Contracting Party, the parties to the dispute shall initially seek to resolve the dispute by consultations and negotiations in good faith. If such consultations or negotiations are unsuccessful, the dispute may be settled through the use of nonbinding, third-party procedures upon which such investor and the Contracting Party mutually agree. If the dispute cannot be resolved through the foregoing procedures, the investor concerned may choose to submit the dispute to the International Court of Justice.

Article 9​

Either Contracting Party may propose the other Party to consult on any matter concerning the interpretation or application of the Agreement. The other Party shall accord sympathetic consideration to and shall afford adequate opportunity for such consultation.

Article 10​

The Contracting Parties may at any time agree to amend the Agreement in writing. Any modification shall become effective once each Contracting Party has informed the other that it has satisfied all internal conditions for implementation of such modification.

Article 11​

1) The current Agreement will become effective on the first day of the second month after the date on which the Contracting Parties have notified one another in writing that the legal requirements in each of their respective countries have been met. It will then be in effect for ten years.

2) The current Agreement shall be implicitly extended for periods of 10 years unless notice of termination has been given by either Contracting Party at least six months prior to the date on which its validity expires. Each Contracting Party reserves the right to terminate the Agreement upon notice given at least six months prior to the date on which the current period of validity expires.

3) In respect of investments made before the date of the termination of the present Agreement the foregoing Articles thereof shall continue to be effective for a further period of 15 years from that date.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned representatives duly authorized thereto, have signed the present Agreement.

DONE in duplicate at Ankara on 1st of March, in the Thai, Turkish, and English languages, and all texts being equally authentic. In case of divergence of interpretation the English text shall prevail.

For the Government of the Republic of Thailand

For the Government of The Republic of Turkey,

 

[Colton]

After a long pause for reading the full text of the document, the Foreign Minister would nod. "I believe that these are things in which we are in agreement on. I do not believe there would be any sort of hold up in our legislature for something like this, and I will be honored to sign it for my government, in order to further the relationships between our two nations, and bring in a new era of prosperity to both of our nations as well." The Foreign Minister would affix his signature in the appropriate spot, then smile and offer a handshake to the Ambassador.

Bossza007

 

[Bossza007]

Ambassador Piyawat would accept the handshake from the Turkish Foreign Minister after signing his signature on behalf of the Thai Government. "I believe we have accomplished this morning. I am happy that we are on the same page. I would love to send back these documents to Thailand for ratifying process. Is there anything else you wish to discuss?" He would sip his tea another time as it reached half of the original volume. At the same moment, he will collect the agreement into his briefcase.

Colton

 

[Colton]

The Foreign Minister would shake his head. "No, I believe that covers it for now. I am glad to be able to start this rebuilding process within my own country, and move forward together. It has been a pleasure speaking with you this morning, Ambassador."

Bossza007

 

[Bossza007]

"Thank you." He replies before excusing himself to go out of the office and return to the embassy.

Colton