BANGKOK: Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has expressed his enthusiasm in collaborating with Malaysia’s Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to strengthen the bond between the two countries.
In his latest post on the X platform on Friday following Anwar’s remarks on the positive state of relations between Malaysia and Thailand, on Thursday night in Putrajaya, Srettha expressed appreciation for Anwar’s gesture.
During the MADANI breaking of the fast programme with ambassadors, foreign representatives, and international organisations in Putrajaya on Thursday, Anwar said he is looking forward to working with his counterpart, Srettha, to further deepen their collaboration in key areas such as trade, investment, tourism, and other sectors.
“Anwar spoke of the very good relations between Thailand and Malaysia last night. I would like to express my thank you and pleased to join Anwar in strengthening this cooperation,” Srettha said in his post on X.
Srettha emphasised that the collaboration between Thailand and Malaysia encompasses a wide array of facets, ranging from economic development and trade to investment and tourism. He highlighted the ongoing efforts towards achieving tangible outcomes in food and energy security.
Furthermore, Srettha underscored that the Thai-Malaysia cooperation seeks to transform the southern provinces of Thailand and the northern regions of Malaysia into zones characterised by peace and stability, conducive to fostering economic activities. This initiative reflects a shared commitment to regional prosperity and development.
Thailand was Malaysia’s seventh-largest trading partner globally in 2023, with total trade amounting to RM113.16 billion (US$24.83 billion).
Malaysia is Thailand’s fourth-largest trading partner globally and is Thailand’s largest trading partner in ASEAN.
The two countries have set an ambitious target of reaching a trade value of US$30 billion by 2025, primarily focusing on border and transit trade to achieve this goal.