SEPANG: Thailand’s Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra arrived in Malaysia on Sunday (Dec 15) to begin a two-day official visit to the country at the invitation of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
This is Paetongtarn’s first visit to Malaysia since being elected the kingdom’s 31st prime minister in August 2024. The visit is in conjunction with the 7th Malaysia-Thailand Annual Consultation (AC), which aims to strengthen bilateral ties and foster regional cooperation.
The special aircraft carrying the youngest daughter of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, her spouse Pidok Sooksawas and her delegation landed at the Bunga Raya Complex of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at 5.20 pm.
Among those present to welcome Paetongtarn and her delegation were Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories) Dr Zaliha Mustafa and the Chargé d'Affaires ad interim of the Embassy of Malaysia to Thailand, Bong Yik Jui.
Upon her arrival, Paetongtarn inspected a guard of honour led by Capt Khairul Azmi Jamingon and consisting of 28 officers and personnel from the First Battalion of the Royal Ranger Regiment (Ceremonial).
In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Wisma Putra, announced that Paetongtarn will be welcomed by Anwar in an official ceremony, followed by a bilateral meeting.
They are also expected to witness the signing of agreements and memorandum of understanding (MOU) to strengthen cooperation across various sectors, followed by a joint press statement and a luncheon hosted by Anwar.
They will also jointly chair the 7th AC, which will culminate in the issuance of a Joint Press Statement.
This visit follows the 15th Joint Commission Meeting for Bilateral Cooperation and the 6th Meeting of the Committee on the Joint Development Strategy for Border Areas, chaired by the Foreign Ministers of both nations in Kuala Lumpur on Aug 6.
It also continues high-level engagements between the two nations, following a working visit by Anwar and Paetongtarn to Sungai Golok, Thailand, and Rantau Panjang, Kelantan, on Aug 3.
Thailand remains a key trading partner for Malaysia, ranking as its sixth-largest globally and second-largest within Asean in 2023, with bilateral trade valued at US$24.83bil (RM113.16bil).
Between January and October 2024, trade between the two nations reached US$20.75bil (RM95.50 bil), surpassing the US$20.69bil (RM94.37bil) recorded during the same period last year. – Bernama
