วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 18 พฤศจิกายน 2564
Bhutan to strengthen cooperation with Thailand in all dimensions and to support Thailand’s BIMSTEC chairmanship
Bhutan to strengthen cooperation with Thailand in all dimensions and to support Thailand’s BIMSTEC chairmanship
November 17, 2021, at 10.00 hrs, at the Ivory Room, Thai Khu Fah Building, Government House, H.E. Mr. Kinzang Dorji, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bhutan to Thailand, paid a courtesy call on Prime Minister and Defense Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha on occasion of his assumption of the position. Government Spokesperson Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana disclosed gist of the meeting as follows:
The Prime Minister welcomed Bhutanese Ambassador to Thailand. The two countries have been forging diplomatic relations for over 30 years on the basis of relations of the royal families. The Prime Minister was impressed with Bhutan’s hospitality in his official visit to the country in 2018, during which he had a chance to have an audience with His MajestyJigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. The Prime Minister hopes that the Ambassador take Thailand as his second home, and work to further strengthen relations and cooperation between Thailand and Bhutan. The Thai Government stands ready to provide support and collaborate with the Bhutanese Ambassador.
The Ambassador expressed honor to be tenured in Thailand. The two countries have had cordial relations, especially through royal and Buddhist connections, with the regular exchange of visits at all levels. Thailand is Bhutanese people’s favorite tourist destination, and the Ambassador hopes for more contacts between people of the two countries. He also committed to tighten cooperation in all dimensions, especially trade and investment, export of agro products, technical cooperation, and cooperation under various bilateral frameworks.
Both parties also discussed public health cooperation. The Prime Minister thanked the government of Bhutan for donating 150,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines to Thailand on the basis that Thailand will send back vaccines to Bhutan later on. He also thanked Bhutan for facilitating the evacuation of Thai citizens during the spread of COVID-19. The Ambassador commended the Thai government’s response to the disease spread and comprehensive vaccination effort, which have eased the COVID-19 situation in the country, leading to the country reopening. Bhutan is pleased to be listed among the countries allowed to enter Thailand without quarantine.
On economic cooperation, the Ambassador wishes to increase cooperation on agro products export to Thailand. Thailand is also pleased to reinforce trade and investment cooperation in the areas of mutual interest. With Bhutan’s potential, the Thai businessmen are keen to invest in construction and services business, as well as tourism. The Prime Minister hopes that Thailand and Bhutan would work together on the import of agro products that meets the needs of the Thai consumers. He also encouraged Bhutan to make use of WTO’s Duty Free, Quota Free (DFQF) program to further tighten trade cooperation between the two countries.
Thailand and Bhutan have also been cooperating in the development of human resources, through scholarship provision, short term trainings,public health development and community development projects in accordance with the Sufficiency Economy Philosophy, and the Friends from Thailand (FFT) program. Both parties also agreed that His Majesty King Rama IX’s Sufficiency Economy Philosophy is well in line with His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck’s Gross National Happiness (GNH), and could be applied in a way that complement each other. The Prime Minister hopes that Thailand’s cooperation and assistance could contribute to Bhutan’s achievement of the SDGs and the nation’s vision of Gross National Happiness.
On multilateral cooperation, the Prime Minister expressed Thailand’s readiness to take over the chairmanship of Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), and the country’s commitment to work closely with other member countries for economic advancement and social development, especially on regional connectivity, economic resilience, green growth, human security, and sustainable development. The country aims to integrate“Bio-Circular-Green or BCG Economy Model” in the development of BIMSTEC, based on the basis of biodiversity and rich natural resources. The Ambassador affirmed Bhutan’s commitment in forging cooperation at the multilateral level, and in supporting Thailand’s BIMSTEC chairmanship.