Thai Prime Minister's visit will strengthen ties with Vietnam
Ha Noi, April 25 (VNA) -- The first visit to Viet Nam by Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra manifests the Thai Government's new efforts to tighten ties with Viet Nam, says the national daily Nhan Dan today, April 25.
The paper welcomes the Thai Prime Minister's two-day visit which begins today, saying that it will contribute to strengthening bilateral relations both in scale and in depth, thus meeting the two nations' interest.
"Viet Nam and Thailand, the two neighbouring countries, share many historical and cultural similarities. Their relationship has strongly developed and improved since the two countries established their diplomatic relations in 1976. In particular, the Viet Nam-Thailand relations have seen new steps of development since Viet Nam joined the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1995," the paper says.
It notes that the two countries have exchanged visits at high levels and signed 17 bilateral agreements covering cooperation in trade, economics, investment, science and technology, tourism, culture and other areas, and that the two-way trade value increased from USD 352 million in 1994 to USD 1.2 billion in 2000.
Thailand ranked 11th among foreign investors in Viet Nam with 78 projects worth USD 1.1 billion. It has given financial assistance to help Viet Nam conduct technical projects and technology transfer. The two countries have also cooperated in rice export, the paper recalls.
It further says that as ASEAN members, Viet Nam and Thailand have made important contributions to consolidating and promoting the strength of the ASEAN group. The two countries shared experiences in promoting activities within ASEAN, the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum, the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) and in efforts to join the World Trade Organizaiton (WTO). They have also coordinated with each other in regional and international forums.
Thailand has helped Viet Nam fulfil the jobs of President of the ASEAN Standing Committee and the ASEAN Regional Forum.
The fine cooperation between Viet Nam and Thailand is an important factor to encourage the Southeast Asian community to build ASEAN an association of peace, stability, cooperation and equal development, in the interest of all nations in the region", the paper says in conclusion.--VNA
