By NNN-KUNA,
Bangkok : Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah has held talks here with his Thai counterpart Samak Sundaravej.
An official reception was held in his honour and the anthems of the two countries were played, followed by a parade by the Honorary Guard.
The Kuwaiti premier shook hands with top Thai officials, as well as Arab and foreign diplomats accredited in Bangkok.
Official talks were then held between the Kuwaiti and Thai parties, who noted the distinguished relations that tied the two countries since diplomatic relations were established in 1964.
They added these relations were further boosted by the participation of the Emir of Kuwait in the 60th anniversary celebration of the Thai King’s accession to the throne in 2006.
They also discussed means to boost cooperation in the economic and commercial fields, encouraging Thai businessmen and companies to invest in Kuwait’s construction and energy sectors, as well as providing facilitaties for Kuwaiti oil companies so as to increase investments in the petrochemical field.
During the talks, the Kuwaiti side lauded the role of the Thai government in tackling the situation in the south, and Sheikh Nasser expressed his country’s readiness to assist in defusing tension in the Muslim-majority region.
The two sides also discussed ways to increase cooperation and boost relations between member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), especially in economy and investment, as well as looking into the possibility of signing a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between them.
Following the talks, the two sides signed two agreements: the first for economic and technical cooperation, signed by Kuwaiti Finance Minister Mustafa Jassem Al-Shimali and Thai Deputy Prime Minister Sahas Banditkun; and the second a memorandum of understanding for deliberations between the foreign ministries of the two countries, signed by Kuwait’s Foreign Undersecretary Khalid Sulaiman Al-Jarallah and acting Thai foreign undersecretary.
Sheikh Nasser then toured a commercial and industrial exhibition held on the sidelines of the meeting, and was briefed on the products of participating companies and their activities.