Ulaanbaatar, April 24, 2024 /MONTSAME/. During her official visit to the Kingdom of Thailand, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia Battsetseg Batmunkh held official talks with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara on April 23, 2024.

The two Foreign Ministers underscored the expanding relations and cooperation between Mongolia and Thailand over the past half century, noting that this year marks the solemn celebration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

At the outset of the meeting, Minister B.Battsetseg expressed her pleasure in paying an official visit to the country under the historic anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries connected by shared religious and cultural ties. The two sides discussed expanding cooperation in politics, economy, trade, investment, transport, logistics, agriculture, culture, and tourism, while exchanging views on deepening cooperation in the international and regional arenas.

Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara emphasized the steady development of relations between Mongolia and Thailand over the past five decades, and expressed confidence that the current visit, which is being implemented after 14 years at the level of the Foreign Minister, would significantly contribute to friendly relations and cooperation between the two countries.

During the talks, the two sides expressed satisfaction with the increase in bilateral trade and investment and the intensification of people-to-people exchanges. They reaffirmed commitment to strengthening ties between the private sector and entrepreneurs, utilizing established bilateral mechanisms such as the Intergovernmental Cooperation Council of Mongolia and Thailand, the Joint Trade Committee and the Business Council.

The two parties concurred to engage in active cooperation aimed at increasing bilateral trade turnover to USD 100 million and investment to USD 1.5 billion, as outlined in the “Five-year Cooperation Plan between Mongolia and Thailand for 2022-2027,” and to finalize the drafts and conclude the intergovernmental agreements during the high-level visit.

Furthermore, the two sides agreed to continue cooperation in empowering public service human resources and training specialists in the health and tourism sectors under the Thai International Cooperation Agency and establish the “2024-2025 Program of Cooperation between Thailand and Mongolia.”

The two parties emphasized the significant increase in the number of Mongolian citizens visiting Thailand in recent years. The Thai side informed their decision to extend the visa-free travel period for citizens to 60 days by amending the existing Visa Exemption Agreement between the Two Governments, with the two sides agreeing to cooperate on internal procedures for its implementation.

The two Foreign Ministers noted that the two countries have supported each other and worked closely together at the UN, international organizations, and regional levels, reaffirming their commitment to further enhancing this cooperation. In this context, the Mongolian side expressed confidence in the participation of representatives from Thailand in the 9th International Conference “Ulaanbaatar Dialogue” on the Security Issues of Northeast Asia, which will be held in Ulaanbaatar in June, 2024, as well as the “World Women’s Forum” scheduled in August this year.