Srettha sees potential for closer ties with Bangladesh after PM Hasina’s visit
Thailand and Bangladesh agreed to boost cooperation in all dimensions at both the government and public levels as Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina witnessed the signing of five agreements and a memorandum of understanding at Government House in Bangkok on Friday.
The five documents cover the commencement of Thailand-Bangladesh free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations, visa exemption for official passport holders, energy cooperation, joint tourism promotion, and mutual assistance in customs matters.
At a press conference following the signing of the agreements, Srettha said Hasina’s visit had strengthened the long-standing friendship between the two countries, since 1972. He reaffirmed the commitment of the two countries to further strengthen bilateral relations through trade and investment, development cooperation and tourism.
Bilateral trade between Thailand and Bangladesh was valued at US$1.2 billion, but Srettha said he believed that both sides could do more to expand economic cooperation. Trade and investment facilitation was highlighted during the discussions to increase trade and investment volumes, as well as to create a resilient supply chain. Srettha also encouraged the Bangladeshi government to provide investment promotion schemes and ease of doing business measures, which would facilitate and attract more Thai investors.
Srettha added that both sides also aimed to elevate cooperation in agriculture, halal food production, and enhancement of food security for their peoples. The two countries also agreed on the importance of improving infrastructure and connectivity, especially the direct shipping route between Thailand’s Ranong Port and Bangladesh’s Chittagong Port.
On medical tourism, the two prime ministers discussed cooperation in training and capacity building for Bangladeshi medical personnel. Srettha promised that Thailand will continue to provide excellent medical services, at competitive prices for Bangladeshis seeking treatment in Thailand.
Thailand also proposed a collaboration on vocational education and wished to see mutual commitment to foster work-integrated education to develop the workforce of both countries.
Srettha added that Thailand appreciated Bangladesh’s role in providing humanitarian assistance to displaced Rohingya since 2017. Thailand has supported Bangladesh’s endeavour to achieve a sustainable solution to this matter, he said.
Srettha said that Thailand would host the BIMSTEC Summit later this year while Bangladesh would become the next BIMSTEC chair. The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation groups Bangladesh, Bhutan India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand and is a key driver of regional economic growth, and a mechanism to promote closer bonds between the two regions.
With a combined total population of 1.8 billion people, there is huge potential for BIMSTEC to achieve much more, said Srettha.
