On 1 December 2017, H.E. Mrs. Busaya Mathelin, Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, and H.E. Mr. Sonam Tshong, Foreign Secretary of the Kingdom of Bhutan, co-chaired the 3rd Annual Bilateral Dialogue at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangkok.

 

The two sides discussed various key aspects of the cooperation between Thailand and Bhutan. In the area of trade, they agreed to increase current trade volume (USD 24.3 million) by twofold within 5 years’ time and to encourage Thai investment in Bhutan’s construction (utilities and infrastructure) and tourism (hotels and services) sectors. Furthermore, the two delegations exchanged views on their cooperation in the fields of agriculture, healthcare, labour, education and technical and development cooperation. The Thai side reaffirmed its intention to continue to act as Bhutan’s development partner. The two countries also committed to showing mutual support in regional and multilateral fora.

 

After the meeting, the Foreign Secretary of Bhutan paid a courtesy call on H.E. Mr. Virasakdi Futrakul, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand. Both sides agreed to enhance and advance the ongoing cooperation in order to further strengthen the bond between Thailand and Bhutan. The Thailand - Bhutan Annual Bilateral Dialogue acts as a forum where issues to enhance bilateral relations between the two countries are discussed, reviewed and advanced. The Dialogue is also a mechanism to set the direction of bilateral relations and cooperation between Thailand and Bhutan, both in bilateral and multilateral matters as well.