BANGKOK: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim has expressed his gratitude to the Thai government for its commitment to strengthening bilateral relations and advancing border projects.
Anwar, who began his two-day working visit to Thailand on Thursday (April 17), also thanked Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra for accommodating the working visit and bilateral meeting held today on short notice.
"I also wish to congratulate the Thai government on its dedication to strengthening bilateral relations and border projects.
"These projects have been longstanding, and under your leadership, they have been realised," he said in response to Paetongtarn's welcoming address upon his arrival at Government House for the bilateral meeting.
The Malaysian delegation includes Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Abdul Aziz, Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi, Foreign Ministry secretary-general Datuk Seri Amran Mohamed Zin, and Asean's Special Envoy to Myanmar, Tan Sri Othman Hashim.
The Thai delegation, led by Paetongtarn, comprised Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Transport Suriya Juangroongruangkit and Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa.
After the meeting, both Prime Ministers witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the Construction Agreement (CA) for the Rantau Panjang-Sungai Golok Bridge Project.
Nanta and Suriya inked the MOU, and the CA documents were exchanged shortly thereafter.
In her welcoming remarks, Paetongtarn also expressed her gratitude to Anwar for the visit, which aims to enhance bilateral cooperation between Thailand and Malaysia further.
"We will continue to collaborate and assist each other on various issues affecting the world today, she said.
This is Anwar's second trip to Thailand since assuming office in 2022, after the first in 2023, during which he met then-Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha.
According to the Malaysian Foreign Ministry, in 2024, Thailand was Malaysia's seventh-largest trading partner globally and third-largest within ASEAN, with total trade amounting to USD25.03bil (RM114.56bil).
Between January and February this year, bilateral trade stood at USD3.96bil (RM17.65bil), up from USD3.67bil (RM16.80bil) during the same period in 2024. – Bernama
