By NNN-Bernama,
Bangkok : Thai’s Ministry of Commerce, who is worried over the spreading unrest in the Middle East and the North African region, is closely monitoring the developments in the troubled regions to prepare for any
possible impacts.
Thai Commerce Minister Porntiva Nakasai said that she has ordered her ministry’s Department of Export Promotion to continue keeping a close watch on the situation in the Middle East and the North African region, according to Thai News agency on Saturday.
Porntiva admitted that if violence recurred there, then it would considerably affect Thai exports to the two regions.
So far, heads of Thai commercial affairs offices in the Middle East have reported that the political violence in Libya is returning to normal.
Porntiva said that the Department of Export Promotion plans to increasingly penetrate into other markets to maintain the expected growth of Thai exports by at least 10 per cent this year, worth some US$210 billion.
However, the Thai commerce minister acknowledged what are mostly concerned now are rising world oil prices, interest rates and inflation, as these factors can affect the costs of Thai exports; so, her ministry is working out ways to relieve impacts on local exporters.