Thailand, Turkey to upgrade bilateral ties

BANGKOK, March 17 (TNA) - Thailand and Turkey eye to upgrade sound bilateral relations to be strategic partnership. The issue was discussed when Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister General Tanasak Patimapragorn welcomed Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, who is paying an official visit to Thailand, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok on Tuesday. During their meeting, both sides also discussed other bilateral issues, covering cooperation on economic, security, technical and educational spheres, as well as cooperation on international stages. Thailand and Turkey established diplomatic relations in 1958 and bilateral relations have remained close and sound even-since. Turkey is a large, moderate Muslim country, with over-75 million-population and potential to be a trading gateway for Thailand and other countries in the region to the Central Asian, Balkan, Middle East and African markets. Besides, Turkey has its outstanding tourism industry, attracting over 37 million global tourists yearly, and has played a key role on international stages. Turkey is the only Muslim member country of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the European Union Customs Union (EUCU). Çavuşoğlu becomes the first Turkish Foreign Minister to pay an official visit to Thailand in 25 years. (TNA)