Thailand, Myanmar agree to expand bilateral ties in all aspects

BANGKOK, November 7 (TNA) - Thailand and Myanmar have agreed to boost bilateral ties and cooperation in all areas and to encourage Thai business operators to invest more in Myanmar. The agreement was reached in Bangkok on Wednesday when visiting Myanmar Vice-President Nyan Tun paid a courtesy call on Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, before attending the first meeting of the high-level Thai-Myanmar joint committee on the development of the Dawei special economic zone and related projects in Myanmar, co-chaired by the Myanmar Vice President and Thai Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Kittirat Na-Ranong. Yingluck told journalists after the talks that Thailand and Myanmar had confirmed to jointly implemented the development of the Dawei special economic zone with joint working groups tasked with accelerating the implementation of the project to be quickly formed. Yingluck said that she expects to meet the Myanmar President during the upcoming 21st ASEAN Summit in Cambodia and to jointly announce the results of this week's meeting of the high-level joint committee on the development of Dawei, and that she plans to take the opportunity to also persuade other potential and interested countries to take part in the development. The prime minister acknowledged that Thailand is interested in the development of Thai-Myanmar border areas for mutual benefits as well, covering the improvement and expansion of cross-border transportation routes and energy development projects. According to the prime minister, Thailand also supports Myanmar’s host of important international events, including the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) and the World Economic Forum (WEF). Myanmar Vice-President Nyan Tun, meanwhile, expressed his confidence that his ongoing visit to Thailand will further boost bilateral relations and understanding, saying he is pleased that foreign business operators, especially those from Thailand, plan to expand their investment projects into Myanmar. At present, Thai investors account for 26.9 per cent of foreign investors in Myanmar, forming the second biggest group of foreign investors in the neighbouring country. (TNA)