Thai and British PMs agree on higher levels of cooperation

Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, who is on official visit to the United Kingdom, on Wednesday held bilateral talks with her British counterpart David Cameron to exchange views on various matters of mutual interest, bilaterally, regionally and globally, Thai News Agency reported Thursday.

They agreed to intensify efforts to elevate the already excellent state of their relations to an even higher plain. 

Both leaders have agreed to the establishment of a “Strategic Dialogue” as a highlevel, consultative forum to set and monitor the future direction for bilateral cooperation in all areas.

This new mechanism will also serve as a concrete platform for both sides to exchange views on regional and multilateral issues and will be convened on a regular basis between high ranking officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom. 

The two prime ministers also welcomed increasing twoway trade and investment, highlighted by the longestablished presence and active role of the British private sector in Thailand, which has made a significant contribution to this growth, making the UK Thailand’s second largest trading partner.

They agreed to work together to share expertise and best practice in flood prevention, and to this end the UK offered to fund four senior Thai officials to attend a flood risk management course at Cranfield University. 

The two leaders also agreed to promote further peopletopeople contacts between their two countries. The Thai prime minister stressed Thailand’s commitment to ensuring safety and hospitality for foreign tourists. To facilitate a greater volume of exchanges, the British premier announced that from December 1, student applicants would be able to access the priority visa service, which is already available to Thai business people and general visitors.