Pakistan-Thailand ties strengthen

BANGKOK, November 9 (TNA) - Thai Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha says that he believes bilateral relations between Thailand and Pakistan will be further strengthened, following an ongoing official visit to the Thai Kingdom by Pakistani Chairman of Joint Chief of Staff Committee General Rashad Mahmood, scheduled for November 5-9, as the guest of the Royal Thai Armed Forces. The Thai prime minister, who is also Chief of the Thai army-led National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO), made the remarks while welcoming General Rashad Mahmood at Bangkok's Government House on Monday morning. The prime minister stressed that the ongoing visit to Thailand by the Pakistani chairman of the joint chief of staff committee is envisioned to result in stronger relations between Thai and Pakistani armed forces. The Thai prime minister expressed his hope that Thailand-Pakistan Joint Logistics Committee, the only bilateral mechanism of Thai and Pakistani armed forces, should further develop. The Thai leader said that his government will boost Thai-Pakistani relations for mutual benefits, promising that Thailand will also support Pakistan’s roles in international arenas. On the occasion, the prime minister expressed his condolences on damage from a deadly earthquake in Pakistan late last month, expressing his hope that rehabilitation would be done soon there. The visiting Pakistani chairman of the joint chief of staff committee, in turn, expressed gratitude towards Thailand for being the first country that helped his country cope with the disaster. The leading Pakistani military figure also opined that the Thai prime minister’s military roles could facilitate national administration and he hoped both Thailand and Pakistan would increasingly exchange visits of their senior military officers in the future. On the same occasion, the Pakistani Ambassador to Thailand H.E. Dr. Sohail Khan also proposed quick negotiations to seal a free trade agreement (FTA) between both countries. Last week, Thai Armed Forces Chief General Sommai Kaotira officially received the visiting Pakistani chairman of the joint chief of staff committee at the Royal Thai Armed Forces headquarters on the outskirts of Bangkok. (TNA)