Bangkok，January 15, 2023（AseanAll）Thailand and UAE to work together to promote regional cooperation.

According to the Thai government website, January 12, 2023, at 13.30 hrs, at the Government House, Mr. Saif Abdulla Mohammed Khalfan Alshamisi, Ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to Thailand, paid a courtesy call on Thai Prime Minister and Defense Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha on occasion of his completion of tenure.  

The Prime Minister thanked UAE Ambassador for his role in promoting relations and cooperation between Thailand and UAE during the 8 years of his tenure, and hoped that he would share his impression over Thailand to the UAE people in a bid to forge relations between people of the two countries. He also congratulated the success of World Government Summit and Dubai World Expo 2022, and expressed Thailand’s readiness to support the Ambassador and exchange cooperation with UAE in a comprehensive manner.

The UAE Ambassador expressed honor to have been tenured in Thailand, and thanked the Thai Government and agencies for their support. He was confident that close relations between Thailand and UAE would be further strengthened and taken forward to promote cooperation in other dimensions, especially in tourism, and committed to continue to push forward cooperation between the two countries for mutual interest.

The Prime Minister and UAE Ambassador agreed to maximize existing cooperation mechanisms in a tangible manner to promote political and security cooperation. The Prime Minister was pleased with the signing of an agreement on visa exemption for holders of diplomatic and official passports, which should facilitate contacts and collaborations between public agencies of the two countries.

With regard to economic cooperation, UAE ranks 1st as Thailand’s trade partner from the Middle East. This underscores potential for the two countries to become trade and investment gateway to each other’s region. Thailand is one of the world’s top food exporters which could contribute to promotion of food security cooperation between the two countries, while the UAE Ambassador also agreed on the exchange of experiences on sciences, technology and innovation which the country has expertise.

UAE has also planned to increase flights to Thailand to accommodate future tourism cooperation and activities, while the UAE people are Thailand’s important targets for medical tourism. On multilateral cooperation, the fact that UAE is the first Arabian country to become ASEAN’s Sectoral Dialogue Partner (SDP) would help bridge and strengthen relations between ASEAN and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The UAE Ambassador expressed confidence that Thailand and UAE would continue to work together to promote regional cooperation in an effective manner.

Toward the end of the meeting, the Prime Minister conveyed his regards and New Year wishes to the Government and people of UAE. He hoped for the two countries to join hands in driving forward post-COVID-19 economic recovery.