Prime Minister welcomes Thai Foreign Minister

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (R) receives Thai Minister of Foreign Affairs Maris Sangiampongsa (Photo: VNA)

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on February 24 received Thai Minister of Foreign Affairs Maris Sangiampongsa who is on an official visit to Viet Nam from February 23-25.

Welcoming the FM’s first official visit to Viet Nam and participation in the 2nd ASEAN Future Forum, Chinh said that the trip will bring about new advancements in the Enhanced Strategic Partnership between Viet Nam and Thailand, as well as to the overall success of the forum.

He proposed the two countries strengthen all-level delegation exchanges through the Party, State, Government, and National Assembly channels; and emphasised the need for the effective implementation of bilateral cooperation mechanisms, particularly the Joint Cabinet Meeting chaired by the two Prime Ministers.

The Vietnamese Government leader also appreciated Thailand for continuing to be Viet Nam's largest trading partner in ASEAN and its ninth-largest foreign investor. He suggested both sides work closely together to soon achieve the target of 25 billion USD in bilateral trade in a more balanced manner by effectively implementing the “Three Connectivity” Strategy and further facilitating the imports and exports between the two countries.

The PM highlighted the importance of hard infrastructure connectivity in road and rail transport, as well as institutional and policy coordination between the two countries. He suggested the two sides further enhance cooperation in emerging potential sectors, such as digital transformation, green transition, and renewable energy.

On this occasion, he called on the Thai government to continue creating favourable conditions for the Vietnamese community who are living, working, and studying in the host country.

An overview of the meeting between Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Thai Minister of Foreign Affairs Maris Sangiampongsa (Photo: VNA)

Thai FM Maris Sangiampongsa affirmed that Viet Nam is one of Thailand’s most important partners in the region. The official noted his hope for stronger cooperation in economy, tourism, and connectivity, particularly in implementing the Six Countries, One Destination initiative. He also emphasised the importance of expanding cooperation into new potential sectors, laying a solid foundation for the substantive and effective development of bilateral relations in the future.

On this occasion, Maris Sangiampongsa also thanked the Vietnamese Government for creating favourable conditions for Thai companies to invest, do business, and develop in Viet Nam. He expressed his hope that it will continue to support and remove difficulties for Thai investors, particularly in energy and finance projects.

The minister thanked PM Chinh for directing the establishment of a joint working group between the two countries, with the participation of relevant ministries and sectors, to discuss cooperation content, remove obstacles, and prepare well for the Viet Nam visit of the Thai Prime Minister in 2025, as well as the Joint Cabinet Meeting between the two countries, contributing to elevating the bilateral relationship to a new height.

Both sides agreed to continue close coordination in multilateral and regional mechanisms, including cooperation in the development of the Mekong subregion and the management and sustainable use of the Mekong River's water resources.

Maris Sangiampongsa confirmed that Thailand will continue to cooperate with Viet Nam and other ASEAN countries to promote the solidarity and central role of the bloc.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son (R) and Thai Minister of Foreign Affairs Maris Sangiampongsa (Photo: VNA)

On the same day, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Bui Thanh Son held talks with Thai Minister of Foreign Affairs Maris Sangiampongsa in Hanoi on February 24.

The officials consented to continue promoting all-level delegation exchanges, and effectively implementing bilateral cooperation mechanisms, while committing to further intensifying cooperation between the two ministries, including considering the establishment of a communication channel between their specialised units to discuss issues of mutual concern.

They also supported enhancing bilateral defence and security collaboration and agreed to collaborate in combating transnational crimes and cybercrime, as well as preventing fraudulent organisations from sending people to third countries for work. They reaffirmed their pledge not to allow any individual or organisation to use one country's territory to act against the other.

Regarding economic, trade, and investment cooperation, the ministers agreed to work together to soon raise two-way trade to 25 billion USD by facilitating the trade of goods, expanding market access in each country, and limiting the application of trade remedy measures on each other’s goods. They also reached consensus on strengthening cooperation in new fields such as digital economy, e-commerce, and green energy.

Both sides agreed on the need to coordinate efforts to maximise the benefits of the Three Connectivity Strategy by effectively implementing initiatives related to supply chain connectivity and business-locality partnerships, and connecting each country’s sustainable growth strategies.

The two sides also backed the effective utilisation of road and waterway transport routes, increasing the number of flights connecting the two countries, and exploring measures to enhance tourism cooperation, including Thailand's Six Countries, One Destination initiative. They agreed to promote collaboration in education, agriculture, culture, and people-to-people exchanges.

On this occasion, Son thanked the Thai Government for supporting the establishment of the Viet Nam Street in Udon Thani province and the upcoming formation of another in Nakhon Phanom province. He proposed the two sides continue encouraging Thai and Vietnamese language teaching programmes in both countries and the development of cooperative and twinning relationships between their localities.

Regarding regional and international cooperation, they affirmed their commitment to maintaining close coordination at multilateral and regional mechanisms; and agreed to work with other ASEAN countries to strengthen solidarity and unity, and promote the bloc’s centrality, prioritise subregional development cooperation in mainland Southeast Asia, and manage and use Mekong River water resources sustainably.

Both emphasised the importance of maintaining peace, stability, safety, and security of navigation and overflight in the East Sea based on international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)./.

Source: VNA