Their Majesties the King and Queen of Thailand granted a royal audience to Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay and his wife Tashi Doma at Ambara Villa in Bangkok this evening. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay and Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin held discussions on several topics including promoting tourism and enhancing trade between the two countries among others. Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay is on an official visit to Thailand at the invitation of Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin. This is his second official visit abroad since assuming office in January.
The rainy morning in Bangkok did not dampen the spirits as Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay was warmly received by his counterpart, Srettha Thavisin, at the Government House.
Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay was honoured with a guard of honour.
After inspecting the guard, he met with members of the Thai Cabinet.
Following this, Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay signed the Government Guestbook. Both prime ministers and their spouses then viewed the display of gifts exchanged between the two nations.
In a one-on-one meeting, the prime ministers discussed various trade collaborations, emphasising the need to expedite the Free Trade Agreement negotiations to foster closer bilateral trade relations.
They agreed on the importance of increasing trade volume between Bhutan and Thailand to reach a target of 120 million US dollars as soon as possible.
Later in the day, government officials from both countries held a bilateral meeting.
Tourism emerged as a key agenda, with the Thai prime minister highlighting its great potential for both nations.
“Our two kingdoms are blessed with rich cultural heritage and diverse natural beauty. We look forward to promoting the two kingdoms, one destination initiative, which will boost the tourism industry in both countries. To further strengthen our people-to-people ties, we look to the possibility of establishing a Friends of Thailand Bhutan group to deepen the bonds between our peoples.”
Other areas of discussion included education and technical cooperation, knowledge sharing in the renewable energy sector, and advancing efforts to achieve energy security.
The bilateral meeting also discussed the importance of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) for trade and connectivity.
Additionally, the Thai Prime Minister invited Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay to the BIMSTEC Summit in Thailand later this year.
“Bhutan looks forward to attending the BIMSTEC Summit, which will be held in Bangkok on the 4th of September 2024, and in this connection, I look forward to attending the summit personally. Lastly, on behalf of the government and people of Bhutan, I would like to express my affirmation to drive cooperation and strengthen the bilateral relation between our two nations,” said Tshering Tobgay, Prime Minister.
At the luncheon, the two prime ministers raised a toast to the long life and good health of Their Majesties the Kings of Bhutan and Thailand.
Later in the afternoon, Thailand’s Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Russ Jalichandra, called on the prime minister.
Sherub Dorji, Bangkok
