ID :
279351
Fri, 03/29/2013 - 10:58
Auther :

Thailand, Russia to boost bilateral ties and cooperation

RUSSIA, March 29 (TNA) - Thailand and Russia will keep enhancing bilateral ties and cooperation, covering further raising their strategic partnership and doubling two-way trade over the next three years. Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul, who is paying an official visit to Russia from March 27-29, told a press conference on Friday, held after his meeting with his Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, that Thailand and Russia have developed bilateral relations and partnership for over a century, which will further be enhanced. Surapong proposed that Russia quickly conclude its negotiations with Thailand on planned agreements and expressed his hope that Thailand and Russia double the value of mutual trade by 2016, from 5 billion US dollars in 2012 to 10 billion US dollars, and that Russian investors further expand their businesses in Thailand. Surapong also noted that Russia can be an energy source for Thailand and Thailand can be a food source for Russia. Besides, Surapong said the Thai government has attached great importance to safety of international visitors to Thailand, in which about 1.3 million Russian tourists visited last year. The Thai Deputy Premier also asked the Russian government to welcome more Thai students to Russia and to provide them with scholarships to select subjects and schools. The Deputy Prime Minister then informed the Russian Foreign Minister that Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is interested in paying an official visit to Russia and extended her invitation for Russia President Vladimir Putin to officially visit Thailand during his trip to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit and related forums on Bali Island in Indonesia late this year. The Russian Foreign Minister also expressed his hope that Thailand and Russia will further strengthen their bilateral cooperation, as Bangkok plays important roles in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), whose member states cooperate well with one another. (TNA)

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