วันอังคารที่ 15 กุมภาพันธ์ 2565
​Bahrain keen to increase tangible cooperation with Thailand and ASEAN
​Bahrain keen to increase tangible cooperation with Thailand and ASEAN
February 11, 2022, at 1500hrs, at the Ivory Room, Thai Khu Fah Building, Government House, H.E. Ms. Muna Abbas Mahmood Radhi, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to Thailand, paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister and Defense Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha on occasion of her assumption f the position. Government Spokesperson Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana disclosed gist of the meeting as follows:
The Prime Minister welcomed the Bahraini Ambassador, and expressed deep appreciation toward the royal benevolence of His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Khalifa, former Bahraini Prime Minister, who had played a very significant role in strengthening tight-knitted relations between Thailand and Bahrain, and who had greatly contributed to the restoration of relations between Thailand and Saudi Arabia. With the Ambassador’s experiences and expertise, he is confident that the Ambassador would be able to further strengthen relations between the two countries, and promote tangible cooperation in the areas of mutual interest.
The Bahraini Ambassador expressed pleasure to be tenured in Thailand and met with the Prime Minister today. She affirmed her commitment to continue to forge bilateral cooperation between the two countries in all dimensions, especially in trade and investment, and tourism. She also hopes to see more exchange of high-level visits, as well as people-to-people relations once the COVID-19 situation eases.
The Prime Minister and Bahraini Ambassador came to terms that trade and investment promotion and food security are key agendas for post-COVID-19 economic rehabilitation, and agreed to further reinforce cooperation in those areas. Both parties also congratulated the opening of Thai Mart in Bahrain in early 2021, which would help promote Thai products in Bahrain and the Middle East. The Bahraini Ambassador hopes that the Thai Government would encourage Thai private sector to invest more in Bahrain, especially in manufacturing, tourism, and healthcare.
The Prime Minister thanked the Bahraini Government for providing COVID-19 vaccines to the Thai Ambassador in Bahrain, the embassy’s staffs, and Thai people in the country. He is also pleased with public health cooperation between the two countries, especially the ‘Visiting Doctor Programme’ which has been implemented in collaboration with the Thai Prince of Songkla University. With regard to people-to-people relations, Thailand has relaunched the Test and Go measure since February 1, 2022, and the Bahraini tourists are very welcome to the country.
On multilateral cooperation, the Prime Minister thanked Bahrain for its continuous support at the international stage, especially under the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), and on Thailand’s Southern border issue. He also commended Bahrain’s chairmanship of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) during 2021-2022. As the ACD Coordinator, Thailand reaffirmed its commitment to drive cooperation under the ACD framework for mutual benefits of the members. Bahrain is also keen to increase interaction and tangible cooperation with ASEAN, especially through its official accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation (TAC) during the 35th ASEAN Summit and Related Summits in 2019, and hopes for closer and more tangible cooperation between ASEAN and Bahrain, and between ASEAN and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).