Malaysian PM Anwar Praises Thai Leadership In Advancing Border Projects

BANGKOK, April 17 (Bernama) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has expressed his gratitude to the Thai government for its commitment to strengthening bilateral relations and advancing border projects.

Anwar, who began his two-day working visit to Thailand on Thursday, also thanked Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra for accommodating the working visit and bilateral meeting held on Thursday on short notice.

“I also wish to congratulate the Thai government on its dedication to strengthening bilateral relations and border projects.

“These projects have been longstanding, and under your leadership, they have been realised," he said in response to Paetongtarn’s welcoming address upon his arrival at Government House for the bilateral meeting.

The Malaysian delegation includes Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry, Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz; Works Minister Alexander Nanta Linggi; Foreign Ministry Secretary-General Amran Mohamed Zin; and ASEAN’s Special Envoy to Myanmar, Othman Hashim.

The Thai delegation, led by Paetongtarn, comprised Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Suriya Juangroongruangkit and Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa.

After the meeting, both Prime Ministers witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Construction Agreement (CA) for the Rantau Panjang-Sungai Golok Bridge Project.

The MoU was inked by Nanta and Suriya, with the CA documents exchanged shortly thereafter.

In her welcoming remarks, Paetongtarn also expressed her gratitude to Anwar for the visit, which aims to further enhance bilateral cooperation between Thailand and Malaysia.

“We will continue to collaborate and assist each other on various issues affecting the world today, she said.

This is Anwar's second trip to Thailand since assuming office in 2022, after the first in 2023, during which he met then-Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha.

According to the Malaysian Foreign Ministry, in 2024, Thailand was Malaysia’s seventh-largest trading partner globally and third-largest within ASEAN, with total trade amounting to US$25.03 billion (RM114.56 billion).

Between January and February this year, bilateral trade stood at US$3.96 billion (RM17.65 billion), up from US$3.67 billion (RM16.80 billion) during the same period in 2024.

-- BERNAMA