On 13 December 2023, H.E. Mr. Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, met with H.E. Dr. Majid bin Abdullah Alkassabi, Minister of Commerce of Saudi Arabia at the National Competitiveness Center. The Deputy Prime Minister expressed appreciation on his official visit to Saudi Arabia as a guest of the Ministry of Commerce and the General Authority for Foreign Trade of Saudi Arabia and thanked the Saudi side for supporting the organisation of the Thailand Mega Fair 2023, which is the largest Thai goods and services exhibition in Saudi Arabia showcasing products and services of over 120 Thai companies from all industries.

The Deputy Prime Minister seized this opportunity to follow up and push forward the outcomes of the Prime Minister’s visit to Saudi Arabia in October 2023 in attending the ASEAN-GCC Summit in the issues of livestock, fishery, and agricultural trade, and the possibility of signing a Free Trade Area (FTA) between Thailand and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). In addition, both sides congratulated the fast-growing trade value between the two countries, which has increased nearly USD 1 billion over a year totalling to the expected number of USD 10 billion in 2023. Both sides also agreed to jointly promote an equal trade exchange between the two countries through the acceleration of the registration and inspection process related to the export of Thai products to Saudi Arabia. Moreover, the Saudi side also hopes to see more people-to-people interactions between the two countries through tourism and cultural learning and communication, including Thai handicraft products.

On this occasion, the Deputy Prime Minister reaffirmed the readiness of Thailand to host the first Saudi – Thai Coordination Council (STCC) in Thailand in January 2024, where foreign ministers of both countries will co-chair the STCC with the participation of General Authority for Foreign Trade of Saudi Arabia as co-chair of the Economic and Trade Committee under STCC. The STCC will play an important role in advancing cooperation between the two countries the coming years.