H.E. General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, and his spouse, Associate Professor Naraporn Chan-o-cha, will pay an Official Visit to the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka during 12 - 13 July 2018. The Prime Minister of Thailand will be accompanied by H.E. Mr. Don Pramudwinai, Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Mr. Kobsak Pootrakool, Minister Attached to the Prime Minister’s Office, H.E. Ms. Chutima Bunyapraphasara, Deputy Minister of Commerce, and senior officials from relevant Ministries. 

          The purpose of the visit is to further strengthen the bilateral relations between Thailand and Sri Lanka to the level of Strategic Economic Partnership and to enhance the relations between the two countries in key areas such as trade and investment, technical cooperation, religious and cultural ties and tourism as well as to exchange views on regional issues, particularly maritime connectivity. 

          During the visit, the Prime Minister of Thailand is scheduled to hold a bilateral discussion and co-chair the Plenary Meeting with H.E. Mr. Maithripala Sirisena, President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, at the Presidential Secretariat. Both leaders will witness the signing of important documents as follows:

          1. Treaty between the Kingdom of Thailand and the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka on the Transfer of Offenders and on Co-operation in the Enforcement of Penal Sentences

          2. Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Economic Partnership between the Government of the Kingdom of Thailand and the Government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka

          3. Memorandum of Understanding between Ministry of Social Welfare and Primary Industries and Kasetsart University on Technological Collaboration Related to Value Addition of Primary Products

          4. Joint Action Programme for Cooperation on Sustainable Community Development Model based on the Application on Sufficiency Economy Philosophy in the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka

          The Prime Minister of Thailand will also have a working breakfast with H.E. Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, and meet with Mr. Rajavarothayam Sampanthan, Leader of the Opposition, who will pay a courtesy call on him. In addition, the Prime Minister of Thailand will exchange views with representatives of the Thai private sector who have businesses or keen interest in investing in Sri Lanka.

          On this occasion, the Prime Minister of Thailand, his spouse and the Thai delegation will be visiting Kandy to venerate the sacred Tooth Relic and pay their respects and perform a merit-making ceremony under the auspices of the Most Venerable Mahanayake Theros of the Malwatta and Asgiriya Chapters of the Siam Sect. He will also visit the Royal Botanic Garden in Peradeniya and plant a sapling to mark his first official visit to Sri Lanka.

          This visit will be a milestone in Thailand - Sri Lanka relations as Sri Lanka is a strategic country located at the heart of the Indian Ocean and the crossroads of routes under the “Belt and Road Initiative” and “Indo - Pacific” strategies.