Thailand, Malaysia leaders agree to bolster bilateral trade

Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (left) holds a joint press conference with Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha in Bangkok, Thailand on February 9. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

Bangkok (VNA) – Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and visiting Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim agreed to promote bilateral ties to boost their economy and cooperate closely in new areas during their meeting in Bangkok on February 9.

Speaking at a joint press conference after their talks, Prayut said the two sides aim to turn the Thai-Malaysian border area into a proof of cooperation for peace and common prosperity.

The two leaders also witnessed the signing ceremony of four MoUs in the fields of energy and digital economy - the sectors that are considered key to promoting the Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) economic model of both countries and sustainable growth.

According to Prayut, the two sides agreed to promote cooperation in enhancing connectivity to facilitate cross-border travel by speeding up road construction projects linking the Sadao area in Thailand's Songkhla province with a checkpoint of Malaysia and building a new Ko Lok bridge. They also pledged to work towards a bilateral trade turnover of 30 billion USD by 2025.

The leaders also discussed ways to increase added value for agricultural products as well as how to develop the common border area.

They agreed to promote collaboration in the fields of education, scientific research and creativity, and uphold the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) centrality in solving international and regional issues./.