Russia could sell Thailand planes, to buy more rubber
Russia has an opportunity to sell Thailand military planes and other defence equipment because some Western countries may be reluctant to do business with the military government running the Asian country, Russia's trade minister said on Wednesday.
Our friends from the Western part of the world are ignoring Thailand," Denis Manturov told Reuters in an interview in Bangkok, where he has accompanied Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on an official visit.
He also said that Russia could buy at least 80,000 tonnes of rubber from Thailand in 2016, which he said was more than four times what it planned to purchase in 2015.
Meanwhile Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said that Thailand and Russia aim to double annual bilateral trade in 2016 to $10 billion. He was speaking after signing five agreements with Medvedev in Bangkok.
Medvedev's visit to Thailand is the first by a Russian prime minister for 25 years, lending high profile international support to a Thai military government that has faced opprobrium from old ally the United States for ousting a democraticgovernment in May.
The visit comes just a week after Prayuth's government cameunder fire from some Western countries and the United Nationsfor lifting martial law only to replace it with sweepingsecurity powers for the military.
"We exchanged opinions on how to boost trade to $10 billion next year," Prayuth said in a statement read to reporters after meeting Medvedev.
