(AseanAll)  — On May 9, 2024, at Thai Government House, Majed Bin Abdullah Alkassabi, Minister of Commerce, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, paid a courtesy call on Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, on occasion of his official visit to Thailand as guest of the Thai Ministry of Commerce. 

The Prime Minister welcomed Saudi Minister of Commerce who was here in Thailand to promote closer trade and investment cooperation between the two countries. Ever since the revitalization of relations, relevant agencies of Thailand and Saudi Arabia have been working together to push forward various cooperation toward tangible progress and accomplishment. However, there is much to work on in reinforcing cooperation in other areas of potentials for the interest of both countries.

Saudi Minister of Commerce expressed pleasure to officially visit Thailand, and appreciated the warm welcome of the Thai Government. He affirmed Saudi Arabia’s commitment to strengthen relations and tangible cooperation with Thailand in various fields, especially trade and investment, public health, energy, and tourism. Saudi Arabia hopes to exchange knowledge and information with Thailand, and strengthen relations at all levels, be it, G2G, between the private sector of the two countries, and people-to-people relations.

On the G2G cooperation, both parties agreed on cooperation promotion at both the Government, ministerial, and agency levels through result-based dialogues and exchange of visits. Saudi Minister of Commerce hoped to receive executives from Thai Government agencies in Saudi Arabia to discuss future cooperation.

With regard to the cooperation between private sector of the two countries, the Thai Government is pleased to endorse cooperation in agriculture and livestock which Thailand has expertise. Tangible progress has been made following the Prime Minister’s meetings with Public Investment Fund (PIF) and Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company (SALIC) during his attendance at the ASEAN – GCC Summit last year. He hoped for more dialogues between relevant agencies of the two countries, especially on the plan for increase of investment.

On people-to-people relations and cooperation, Saudi Minister of Commerce was pleased with an increase of Saudi tourists in Thailand, which reflects great potential of Thai and Saudi tourism industry. He hoped that both sides push for closer tourism cooperation.