General Tanasak Patimapragorn, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, paid an official visit to United Arab Emirates (UAE) during 23 – 24 February 2015, on the occasion of the 40^th Anniversary of Thailand – United Arab Emirates diplomatic relations.

                 The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs held bilateral talks with His Royal Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates. His Royal Highness conveyed well-wishes from His Royal Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, for the good health of His Majesty King Bhumibhol and Queen Sirikit. During the meeting, both sides also exchanged views on ways and means to further deepen cooperation between both sides in various areas.

                 On political and security cooperation, both sides celebrated the long-standing cooperation enjoyed by the two countries and agreed to convene the 1^st Joint Commission Meeting on Economic, Trade, and Technical Cooperation (JCM) in Thailand in 2015. Both sides also agreed to push for substantive progress in pending issues, such as the agreement on the exemption of visa for diplomatic and official passport holders and the promotion of multilateral cooperation through ASEAN and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

                 On economic issues, both sides agreed that there is further potential between Thailand and the UAE to do business together. The UAE remains Thailand’s number one trading partner in the Middle East and a primary source of oil for Thailand. Also, exchanges between the private sectors in both countries remain robust. The UAE will send a business delegation to the THAIFEX 2015, scheduled to be held in May 2015, to promote cooperation in food and halal food business.

                 On social issues, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs expressed his appreciation to the UAE for taking good care of the approximately 12,000 Thai nationals and workers in the UAE. Both sides, being key tourism hubs in their respective regions, were also pleased with the current level of tourists going both ways, with the UAE’s private sector expressing a great interest in investing in Thailand’s medical tourism industry. On educational matters, the UAE has provided scholarships for Thai students annually and will continue to do so in the near future. Thailand also expressed its readiness in sharing technical expertise on various aspects such as tourism management, healthcare, and sustainable development.

                 Moreover, both ministers signed 2 landmark MOU agreements, namely (1) Memorandum of understanding between the Government of Thailand and United Arab Emirates on Security Cooperation and (2) Memorandum of understanding between Thailand and United Arab Emirates on Promotion and Protection of Investments. Both MOUs aims to increase sharing of information between security agencies and facilitating businesses between both sides.

            Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Thailand and the UAE in 1975, the ties between Thailand and the UAE have become closer and further strengthened. Both sides have discussed various activities to commemorate the 40^th anniversary of diplomatic relations. To this end, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs took the opportunity to invite His Royal Highness Sheikh Abdullah for an official visit to Thailand to celebrate this momentous occasion.