Thailand and Vietnam set out to strengthen relations
Thailand and Vietnam are preparing to elevate their relations to the highest level following the visit of Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin to Hanoi next year.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara held discussions with and vowed to strengthen ties with Vietnamese Foreign Minister Bui Thanh Son on October 26. During the meeting, the foreign ministers expressed mutual interest in enhancing their strategic partnerships, with Vietnam welcoming PM Srettha's planned visit to Vietnam next year to participate in an official meeting between the Thai and Vietnamese cabinets.
The ministers discussed cooperation in various fields, including security, economy, trade, investment, tourism, and people-to-people relations. They also exchanged views on regional issues concerning the Mekong sub-region, Asean, and inter-country relations between Thailand and Vietnam
Parnpree emphasised Thailand's readiness for the upcoming visit of Vietnam’s National Assembly president scheduled for December and extended an official invitation to his Vietnamese counterpart to visit Thailand. At the same time, Vietnam's foreign minister expressed condolences on the deaths of Thai workers in Israel.
Parnpree later revealed that the discussions were highly positive, opening broad and diverse avenues for cooperation with Vietnam. Both parties emphasised trade and investment collaboration, aiming to reach a trade value of approximately US$25 billion by 2025, compared to the current US$21 billion.
Vietnam's foreign minister responded positively and committed to facilitating solutions to various obstacles faced by Thai businesses.
Cooperation at the regional level in the framework of ACMECS (Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy) and trilateral connections, as well as local-to-local cooperation related to supply chain linkages, were also highlighted. These are critical issues in current inter-country investments.
A number of these issues were previously proposed to the Vietnamese government but received no official response. However, Vietnam has recently responded positively to driving forward relations with Thailand, which is considered a favourable development.
Parnpree stated that this round of talks was the most crucial to date and aimed to elevate the strategic partnership between Thailand and Vietnam to the highest level, thus making Vietnam the first Asean country to do so. It is anticipated that an official announcement will be made after PM Srettha's official visit to Vietnam, further strengthening the close relationship between Thailand and Vietnam.
