PM Abhisit’s Vietnam Visit Focuses on Rice Export, Security Ties

Measures to boost bilateral cooperation in rice exports, security and defense were on top of the agenda of talks between the visiting Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva and his host Nguyen Tan Dung on July 10.

 

“As the world’s leading rice exporters, Vietnam and Thailand should cooperate together to build rice reserves in order to ensure the food security of each nation as well as the social welfare throughout the region, particularly considering the current global crisis,” PM Abhisit told his host.

 

Vietnam and Thailand will check the two nations’ cooperative mechanisms in a bid to improve the effectiveness and soon organize a meeting of the joint subcommittee on trade cooperation, he added.

 

Two-way trade between Vietnam and Thailand reached US$6.5 billion last year, up 30 per cent on year.

 

However, the bilateral trade value represented an on-year reduction of 30 per cent in the first five months of 2009 to US$1.9 billion, allegedly attributed to the global economic crisis and Thailand’s recent political instability.

 

The Thai PM hoped the bilateral ties will indicate more positive and specific results by the end of 2009.

 

In terms of the security cooperation, the two PMs agreed to continue conducting joint sea patrols, and reinforcing coordination in anti-terrorism activities and the fight against trans-national crimes.

 

They both reconfirmed the principle of not allowing any hostile force to use either country’s territory to conduct acts that harm the other’s security and undermine the two countries’ friendship and cooperation.

 

PM Abhisit also met with Party Chief Nong Duc Manh during his first trip to Vietnam as Thailand’s top leader. (Investment, CPV)