At an invitation of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of the Kingdom of Thailand General Prayut Chan-o-cha paid an official visit to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on January 25-26, 2022.
An official reception ceremony was held for the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported. After that, HRH the Crown Prince and the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand held a session of official talks. They exchanged views, consultation and coordination with regard to several issues, in order to achieve the interests of common concern of the two friendly countries.
The session of talks was attended by Prince Turki bin Mohammed bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz, Minister of the State and Member of the Cabinet; Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz, Minister of Interior; Prince Abdullah bin Bandar bin Abdulaziz, Minister of National Guard; Prince Faisal bin Farhan bin Abdullah, Minister of Foreign Affairs; Dr. Musaed bin Mohammed Al-Aiban, Minister of the State, Member of the Cabinet and National Security Adviser; Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Qasabi, Minister of Commerce and Acting Minister of Media, who is also (the accompanying minister); Eng. Ahmed bin Suleiman Al-Rajhi, Minister of Human Resources and Social Development; and the accompanying delegation of the Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of the Kingdom of Thailand.
HRH the Crown Prince held a luncheon banquet in honor of the Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of the Kingdom of Thailand.
The two sides exchanged views on various regional and international issues, and discussed means and ways to strengthen their bilateral relations in all areas. They also agreed to increase interactions and coordination between their respective government agencies as well as private sectors in order to elevate their bilateral relations to new heights. The two sides also agreed to fully normalize their diplomatic relations, including the appointment of ambassadors to their respective capitals in the near future and the setting up of consultative mechanisms for consolidating their bilateral cooperation. Intensive coordination will commence in the coming months to discuss bilateral cooperation in key strategic areas.
The two sides further discussed means and ways to strengthen and enhance economic and trade relations between the two Kingdoms by exploring investment and other opportunities in the context of Saudi Vision 2030 and Thailand’s national development agenda, namely the Bio – Circular – Green Economy policy. They also agreed to explore new areas of cooperation, such as renewable energy, environment, digital transformation, and cybersecurity.
The two sides agreed to support each other in the international organizations and fora and stressed the importance of the commitment of all countries to the Charter of the United Nations, international norms, and principles of good neighborliness, respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty, non-interference in internal affairs, and the peaceful settlement of dispute.
The Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand congratulated the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on its success in hosting and organizing the G20 Summit, which has yielded positive outcomes in many areas, such as economy, development, environment, health, energy, etc. HRH the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia also expressed confidence that Thailand’s hosting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) in 2022 will be successful and greatly contribute to the sustainable, balanced, and inclusive growth of the regional and global economy in the post-COVID-19 era.
The visiting Prime Minister welcomed the (Saudi Green Initiative) and the (Middle East Green Initiative), launched by HRH the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. He also commended the leading role of the Saudi Arabia in various common international issues, including combatting climate change, and its positive impacts for the region and its population. The Saudi Prince also praised Thailand’s Bio – Circular - Green Economy policy which aims to enhance resource efficiency, transform waste into wealth, regenerate biodiversity, and mitigate impacts on the environment.
