On 25 April 2013, Mr. Urmas Paet, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia, paid a courtesy call on Mr. Surapong Tovichakchaikul, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, on the occasion of the latter’s visit to Thailand as a guest of the Foreign Ministry.

Both sides exchanged views on the current political and economic relations between Thailand and Estonia. They also agreed to enhance cooperation in all fields, as well as follow-up on the discussions made by the two Prime Ministers during the 9th Asia-Europe Summit (ASEM) held in Vientiane in 2012, particularly on a proposed first round of Political Consultations, the setting up of a Thai Honorary Consulate in Tallinn, the invitation extended to Estonia to open an embassy in Thailand to fully enjoy the benefits of the ASEAN Community, the Royal Thai Government’s plan to invest in large-scale infrastructure projects worth around 66 billion USD, and Thailand’s request for the exemption for Thai official-passport holders, besides the exemption of visa for diplomatic passport- holders which was granted earlier.

Foreign Minister Paet expressed his appreciation for the warm welcome and hospitality and sought Thailand’s assistance in granting visa exemption for Estonian ordinary-passport holders. Foreign Minister Paet also invited the Thai business sector to invest in Estonia, particularly in the areas of information technology and telecommunications, which are Estonia’s area of expertise.

Thailand and Estonia have a total trade volume of 96.39 million USD in 2012. 10,733 Estonians travelled to Thailand last year.