Mr. Surapong Tovichakchaikul, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, is scheduled to pay Official Visits to the Czech Republic and the Republic of Estonia from 5 to 8 September 2013.

During the Official Visit to the Czech Republic on 5 - 6 September 2013, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs is scheduled to have a meeting with His Excellency Mr. Jan Kohout, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, to discuss about ways to promote closer relations between the two countries. The bilateral talk will give precedence to the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the establishment of Thai - Czech diplomatic relations in 2014.

Furthermore, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs will lead 20 Thai delegates from both public and private sector to hold the 1st session of the Joint Commission on Economic Commission (JEC) between Thailand and the Czech Republic. The JEC meeting will be hosted in Prague and co-chaired by the Minister of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic. It will aim to foster economic and technical framework between Thailand and the Czech Republic. 

The visit to the Czech Republic and the 1st session of the JEC meeting will open a new chapter in economic and trade relations between Thailand and the Czech Republic. Currently, Czech is Thailand’s number one trading partner in Central Europe, with a bilateral trade volume of USD 950 million in 2012. Czech has strong potentials in investment, innovation and technology. It is also a promising market for Thai tourism. As both countries have expressed their determination to learn and share innovation and technology from each other, the visit to the Czech Republic is indeed an important step to advance their partnership of cooperation in the years ahead.

Thereafter, on 6 - 8 September 2013, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs will pay an official visit to the Republic of Estonia at the invitation of Mr. Urmas Paet, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Estonia. During the visit, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs is scheduled to hold a discussion with his Estonian counterpart as well as to visit the ICT Demo Center to explore potential cooperation in ICT and Cyber defense with the Estonian side. The visit will also aim to follow up on matters discussed between the two countries’ Prime Ministers during the 9th Asia–Europe Meeting (ASEM) in Vientiane in November 2012.

The Republic of Estonia represents a potential new market for Thai business as it is one of the strongest economies of the Baltic States that successfully endured through the Euro Crisis and can now expect to see a 3% growth this year. This historic visit will not only serve to strengthen the cordial ties between the two countries but also promote closer collaboration in the areas of mutual interest such as trade and investment, ICT as well as in tourism which Thailand is emerging as a popular destination for growing numbers of Estonian tourists.

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