NEW YORK, September 25 – Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and his Malaysian counterpart, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, have agreed to strengthen trade, investment, and tourism cooperation during their meeting on the sidelines of the 78th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Thursday. In a statement, government spokesperson Chai Watcharong said that Thailand and Malaysia concurred that the next Joint Commission Meeting for Bilateral Cooperation should be convened soon to encourage economic cooperation between the two countries.
To enhance cooperation, he said Thailand proposed a business sector meeting to discuss ways to boost trade and investment. “Prime Minister Srettha is optimistic about the future of relations between Thailand and Malaysia. He is committed to working closely with Malaysia to strengthen relations based on stability and mutual prosperity,” he said. He added that Srettha also accepted Anwar’s invitation to visit Malaysia at the earliest opportunity. Srettha met with Anwar for the first time as prime minister after his appointment on August 22.
Several Cabinet ministers from both countries also attended the meeting. Chai said both prime ministers also pledged to collaborate in promoting tourism between the two nations. “Malaysians are leading the list of international visitors to Thailand this year, with over 3 million arrivals,” he said. Meanwhile, Chai said both prime ministers also vowed to cooperate on security issues along the Thailand-Malaysia border and the peace process in southern Thailand.
He said Srettha also welcomed Malaysia’s role in facilitating peace talks in the southern Thai region. Currently, Malaysia serves as the facilitator for the peace negotiation process to end decades-long conflict in southern Thailand. Former military commander, Tan Sri Zulkifli Zainal Abidin, was appointed as Malaysia’s new facilitator chief, effective January 1 of this year.
