Vietnam's Communist Party chief to visit Thailand June 25-27

BANGKOK, June 20 (TNA) - The General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, Nguyen Phu Trong, is scheduled to pay a three-day official visit to Thailand, from June 25-27, 2013, as the guest of the Thai government, symbolizing the steady development of bilateral relations between the two ASEAN neighbours over the past 37 years. The Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Thursday that Nguyen Phu Trong's upcoming visit is his first trip to Thailand after his election in 2011. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' statement, Nguyen Phu Trong's upcoming trip to Thailand is also the first visit of the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam in 20 years, after the visit of former general secretary Do Muoi in 1993. Those who will accompany Nguyen Phu Trong during his trip to Thailand include high-ranking officials of the Vietnamese government, namely the minister of foreign affairs, the minister of defense, the minister of planning & investment and the minister of labor, invalids and social affairs. The Thai government will organize a reception ceremony for the honourable Vietnamese guests at Bangkok's Government House on June 25 and the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam will then have a bilateral discussion with Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who will also host a dinner reception for the visiting Vietnamese delegation in the evening. During his three-day stay in Thailand, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam is also scheduled to meet the Thai Parliament President and House Speaker, the Senate Speaker, political party leaders and representatives of the Thai private sector and those of the Thailand-Vietnam Friendship Association, as well as to receive an honorary doctorate degree from Thammasat University, Thailand's second oldest university. Thailand and Vietnam celebrated the 35th anniversary of their diplomatic relations in 2011. Both are friendly countries with comprehensive bilateral cooperation in the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc. (TNA)