During 20 – 21 August 2018, H.E. Mr. Virasakdi Futrakul, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand, visited the Republic of Tunisia at the invitation of H.E. Mr. Sabri Bachtobji, Secretary of State to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Tunisia, and co-chaired the 1st Thai-Tunisia Bilatral Consulattions in Tunis, Tunisia. The Thai Deputy Foreign Minister also met with H.E. Mr. Hatem Ferjani, Secretary of State to the Minister for Foreign Affairs in Charge of Economic Diplomacy, and paid a courtesy call on H.E. Mr. Khemaies Jhinaoui, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Tunisia. The details of the Thai Deputy Foreign Ministers’ visit are as follows:

          1. Trade and Investment: Both sides agreed that Thailand and Tunisia act as economic gateways to their respective regions as Tunisia has a free trade agreement with the European Union (EU) and is also a member of the Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). Thailand will explore Tunisia’s potential as a logistics hub and regional warehouse. 

              The Tunisian side proposed establishing an economic council between Thailand and Tunisia to further support the roles of the private sector in both countries as well as suggested the drafting of a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA). Both sides also agreed to explore organising the 3rd Thailand – Tunisia Joint Trade Commission (JTC) in Thailand in May 2019 in order to bring investors to THAIFEX 2019 and SACICT Fair in that same period. 

              Furthermore, Thailand expressed interest in importing olive oil from Tunisia to be used in the production of canned seafood in Thailand’s tuna industry and potentially establishing tuna factories in Tunisia. The Thai side will also discuss with Thai companies i.e. CPF investing in Tunisia and using Tunisia as a hub for exports to the EU, Arab States, and African countries. The Thai side also invited Tunisia to invest in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) and form partnerships between the SMEs of both countries.

          2. Tourism: The Thai side expressed its willingness to share its experiences and expertise in medical tourism with Tunisia by setting up training courses and will discuss with companies under Dusit Thani group to also set up a hospitality institute to provide training courses in Tunisia. 

          3. Agriculture: The Tunisian side proposed a draft Memorandum of Understanding on agriculture as well as requested the Thai side to increase related scholarships under TICA. The Thai side proposed that Tunisia consider increasing its imports of rubber from Thailand.

          4. Education: The Tunisian side proposed a draft Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in higher education for Thailand’s consideration, and both sides agreed to exchange educational personnel and scholarships. Tunisia expressed interest in making universities more autonomous, to which the Thai side informed that it was in the process of establishing a Ministry of Higher Education and is willing to exchange its experiences in this field. 

          5. Development Cooperation: Thailand supports the training of personnel in areas of Thailand’s expertise, as requested by Tunisia. Moreover, Tunisia proposed trilateral cooperation with countries in Africa. 

          6. Consular Cooperation: Both sides agreed to revise the agreement on visa exemption of diplomatic and official passports as well as visa exemption for ordinary passports between the two countries. 

          7. Cooperation in International Fora: Tunisia provided Thailand with insight into its membership in a number of important economic frameworks namely the Euro-Mediterranean Association, GAFTA, and COMESA while Thailand stands ready to connect Southeast Asia to South Asia through important economic frameworks namely ACMECS, BIMSTEC and ASEAN. Thailand requested Tunisia’s support in the OIC as well as Thailand’s election to the UNESCO Executive Board. In this connection, both sides agree to set up a Plan of Action to follow up progress on cooperation between the two countries. 

          Furthermore, the Thai Deputy Foreign Minister held a bilateral discussion with Mr. Hisham Qareesah, Dean of Ez-Zitouna University, on academic cooperation and met with two Thai students studying in the University. The Thai side expressed its interest in the University’s curriculum of middle path Islamic teachings. Ez-Zitouna is the oldest Islamic university in the world with academic cooperation with a number of Islamic schools in Bangkok, and Fatoni University in Pattani province. In this connection, the Thai Deputy Foreign Minister invited the Dean of Ez-Zitouna University to visit Thailand for further discussions on academic cooperation.