BANGKOK (The Nation/Asia News Network): Prime Minister and Finance Minister Srettha Thavisin has told Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam that Thailand aims to strengthen the 39 years of relationship between the two countries across all dimensions and promote future bilateral and regional cooperation.
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Srettha was granted a royal audience at the Istana Nurul Iman Place during his official visit to Brunei on Tuesday (Oct 9), government spokesperson Chai Wacharonke said.
The Thai premier said he was honoured to visit His Majesty, who is the most senior leader in Asean, and the Thai government would be privileged to welcome him should he consider visiting Thailand.
The two parties then celebrated the current relationship and cooperation, especially at the royal family level, and discussed future economic, investment and financial cooperation.
Srettha pointed out that the Brunei Investment Agency (BIA) joined the Export–Import Bank of Thailand and Government Pension Fund in 2002 to establish the Thailand Prosperity Fund, and invited the BIA to further invest in high-potential portfolios in Thailand including the service and tourism industries and infrastructure.
Srettha said he was delighted that Thai products are becoming popular in Brunei and that the Thai embassy is planning to organise more trade fairs in the country.
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Both leaders emphasised the need to strengthen food stability in the Asean region by forming a long-term partnership given Thailand’s advantages in agriculture and food manufacturing.
Brunei is looking to import more Halal food products from Thailand, including chicken and Hom Mali rice.
The two also discussed the recent conflict in the Middle East, where more than a dozen Thai nationals are known to have died, and prayed that the situation would soon be resolved.
Srettha’s five-day foreign mission began on Sunday in Hong Kong. Following Brunei, he will visit Malaysia and Singapore.
-TheStar