Mr. Aziz Phitakkumpon, the Sheikhul lslam of Thailand and delegation is scheduled to pay an official visit to the Republic of Turkey during 7 – 12 May 2017, as guest of Dr. Mehmet Görmez, President of the Office of the Presidency of Religious Affairs or Diyanet İşleri Başkanlığı' (Diyanet) and through the facilitation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand via the Royal Thai Embassy in Ankara.

During the visit, the Sheikhul lslam of Thailand will meet with religious leaders, representatives of institutes overseeing education and cultural affairs and institutes promoting interrelations between people from different religious faiths and beliefs (interfaith dialogue) as well as Thai students studying in Ankara, lstanbul and Konya. It is expected that issues of importance such as strengthening educational cooperation via scholarships granted to Thai students by the Government of the Republic of Turkey and enhancing religious cooperation will be discussed during the visit.

Through this visit, it is hoped that the Sheikhul Islam of Thailand will be able to draw attention to the Turkish side of how Thailand is a multicultural society, where people from different religious faiths live together in peaceful harmony and are given freedom of practicing their religious beliefs as well as further inform on the Thai Government's policy in solving the situation in the Southern Border Provinces (SBPs) to ensure sustainable peace and prosperity in the SBPs.

Moreover, the meeting of the Sheikhul lslam of Thailand with Thai Muslim students in Turkey will also help provide the updated information of the situation in the SBPs, the Thai govemment’s policy in solving the problem in the SBPs and allow the Thai Muslim students in Turkey to disseminate the right understanding about Muslims in Thailand and the situation in the SBPs amongst Turkish students and the Turkish public.

The Sheikhul Islam of Thailand is accompanied on this trip by prominent Muslim figures in Thailand such as Ajarn Aroon Boonchom, President of Islamic Committee of Bangkok, Ajarn Prasarn Sricharoen, Vice President of Islamic scholar committee of Sheikhul lsiam and Dr.Wisoot Binlateh Director of the Southern office of Sheikhul Islam's affairs and Coordination.

For further information on the Office of the Presidency of Religious Affairs and Dr. Mehmet Görmez please refer to the links https://diyanet.gov.tr/en/home and http://diyanet.gov.tr/en/kategori/prof-dr-mehmet-gormez/120 respectively.