Pakistani PM to visit Thailand Nov 17-19

BANGKOK, November 8 (TNA) - Pakistan's Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif is scheduled to pay an official visit to Thailand from November 17-19, 2013, aimed to strengthen bilateral ties and cooperation between the two countries, particularly in trade and security sectors. According to an announcement released by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday, the forthcoming three-day trip will be the first official visit to Thailand by a Pakistani prime minister over the past eight years. During his upcoming reciprocal trip to Thailand, after his Thai counterpart Yingluck Shinawatra paid an official visit to Pakistan on August 2013, Sharif will hold talks with his Thai counterpart on November 18 on approaches to further boost two-way trade and investment, as well as on shared intelligence to counter terrorism and on technical exchange. The Pakistani and Thai leaders will also discuss issues concerning Southeast Asia and South Asia regions. During his stay in Thailand, the visiting Pakistani Prime Minister is also scheduled to attend an international telecommunication meeting, called the Connect Asia-Pacific Summit 2013, jointly hosted by the Thai government and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), aimed to strengthen regional cooperation on the use of information technology and communication (ICT) for the promotion of public welfare. During Premier Yingluck's visit to Pakistan in August, she and her Pakistani counterparts agreed to double bilateral trade value over the next five years, from about two billion US dollars currently. (TNA)