Bangkok (VNA) – Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said on May 2 that US President Donald Trump assured him that the relations between the two countries will grow closer than ever, and the two countries are “good allies”.

Trump’s statement, which was made during a telephone call between the two leaders, marked a sudden change in Washington’s stance towards Thailand since the Southeast Asian country’s 2014 coup.

During the call, Trump invited the Thai PM to visit the US. Prayuth accepted the invitation but did not mention the exact time of the visit.

The Thai PM said that Trump promised to strengthen trade cooperation with Thailand and send a trade mission to the country in the coming time.

Thailand is Washington's oldest ally in Southeast Asia, but the ties were strained by the military coup led by Prayuth in 2014 that ousted an elected civilian government.

Earlier, Thai businesses also raised concern about the US President’s trade position. Last year, Thailand recorded a trade surplus of 18 billion USD with the US, its second largest export market after China.

Last week, President Donald Trump also had a telephone call with his Philippine counterpart Rodrigo Duterte and invite him to visit the White House. Experts held that the invitations are part of the US’ efforts to seek support in the region amidst escalated tension with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.-VNA
VNA