On Monday 20^th August 2013, Mr. Surapong Tovichakchaikul, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs arrived in Abuja, Federal Republic of Nigeria on his official visit from 20 – 21 August 2013. This marked as the first official visit of Thai Foreign Minister to Nigeria since both sides established diplomatic relations in 1962.

            During the meeting with his counterpart, Mr. Olubenga Adeyoji Ashiru, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nigeria, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Surapong stressed the importance of Nigeria and the Africa continent in the conduct of Thailand’s foreign relations, particularly with regard to the Thai-Africa Initiative, and proposed to elevate Thailand – Nigeria relations to a strategic partnership. He also proposed that, with the increased interactions, the two countries should attempt to double their trade volume from annually 1.45 billion US dollars in 2012 in the next five years. Both sides announced various cooperation schemes in areas of mutual interest such as energy, food security and technical cooperation, and agreed on the reciprocal support for their candidatures in many UN organizations. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Surapong took the opportunity to thank the Nigeria Government for helping to ensure the release of four kidnapped Thai citizens on 16^th August 2013. Both ministers also signed the Memorandum of Understanding on the Establishment of Bilateral Consultation between the both countries’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

            Later in the same day, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Surapong paid a courtesy call on Mr. Goodluck Jonathan, President of the Republic of Nigeria at the State House. He had conveyed Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s invitation to the Nigerian President to pay an official visit to Thailand as well as to attend the High-level Forum under the Thai-Africa Initiative to be held in February 2014.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Surapong met with Mr. Olusecun Olutoyin Agunda, Minister of Trade and Investment of Nigeria, during which they had discussed ways to promote the bilateral trade including barter trade. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Surapong also met with the local major importers of rice and agreed to bring problems raised by the importers such as high rice import tax to the Nigerian Government’s consideration.

            With a population of 170 million, Nigeria is the second largest trade partner of Thailand in Africa and the biggest import market of Thai par-boiled rice.