รัฐบาลไทย-ข่าวทำเนียบรัฐบาล-Thailand and Pakistan to comprehensively expand cooperation at all levels
วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 20 มกราคม 2565
Thailand and Pakistan to comprehensively expand cooperation at all levels
Thailand and Pakistan to comprehensively expand cooperation at all levels
January 20, 2022, at 14.00 hrs, at the Ivory Room, Thai Khu Fah Building, Government House, H.E. Mr. Sahebzada Ahmed Khan, Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to Thailand, paid a courtesy call on Prime 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 Pakistani Ambassador to Thailand, and expressed confidence that his experiences would well contribute to the promotion of relations and cooperation between Thailand and Pakistan. As the two countries have celebrated the 70th anniversary of the diplomatic relations in 2021, the Prime Minister conveyed his well wishes to the Pakistani Prime Minister, and affirmed Thailand’s commitment to continue to promote cooperation and activities with Pakistan at all levels.
The Pakistani Ambassador expressed honor to be tenured in the country and also his intention to comprehensively expand cooperation with Thailand, especially cultural and Buddhism cooperation. Through common cultural identities, the two countries could join hands in reviving economy and tourism activities. He also commended the Thai Government’s vision and capability to curb the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in an efficient manner, and congratulated Thailand’s 2022 APEC chairmanship which, he believes, would help promote intra-regional and cross-regional trade and investment.
Both parties also discussed other issues of mutual interest:
On economic cooperation, the Prime Minister places importance on both bilateral and multilateral cooperation.
Pakistan is Thailand’s important trade partner in the South Asian region, and both countries should make use of each other’s strategic location to take forward trade and investment expansion to other regions in the future. The negotiation on Thailand – Pakistan Free Trade Agreement (PATHFTA) should soon be finalized as well. The Pakistani Ambassador commended Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) which sets a good example on domestic investment promotion, and added that Pakistan has also placed importance on technological development in parallel with economic development.
Thailand stands ready to reinforce education cooperation, especially in the areas of science and technology which Pakistan has expertise. Concerned agencies of both countries will closely collaborate on provision of student scholarships and teacher training fund to teachers and students in Thailand’s Southern border provinces to further their study/training in Pakistan in the areas other than religious study.
Pakistan would also like to exchange expertise and experiences, as well as promote technology transfer with Thailand in various fields, especially responses to threats (i.e., border management, disaster management, and defense cooperation). The Prime Minister agreed and added that the two countries may also cooperate in the development of national defense industry which the Thai Government has placed importance on.
With regard to tourism and cultural cooperation, the Prime Minister marveled Pakistan for being the origin of Gandhara, an important Buddhist civilization and heritage, and thanked the Pakistani Government for organizing cultural activities to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the diplomatic relations. The Ambassador disclosed that Pakistan has planned to organize an exhibition of over 100 works of Gandharan art in Thailand in March 2022, and will support a project of the Royal Thai Embassy in Islamabad to construct an enshrinement of Buddhist relics at Taxila Museum.