Nepal-Thailand relations reach new height: PM Oli; Nepal, Thailand sign eight MoUs

Bangkok / April 2: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli who is presently on the five-day official visit to Thailand, beginning on April 1 has said the visit has contributed to taking the bilateral relations to a new height.

Speaking at a joint press conference held after the bilateral meeting between the Prime Minister and his counterpart Paetongtarn Shinawatra on Wednesday, the Prime Minister expresses his belief with the visit, the level of mutual cooperation between the two countries in the areas of culture, tourism, education and energy will further increase in the days to come.

Highlighting on the 65-year-long diplomatic ties between Nepal and Thailand, Prime Minister Oli said the meeting focused on further expanding the bilateral ties including diplomatic and the people-to-people relations.

He expressed his hope that Nepal’s hospitality business and air services would be the priorities of Thailand for its future investment and trade. “Nepal and Thailand share deeper agricultural, trade, tourism and cultural relations. I call on the business community in Thailand to invest in Nepal,” the Prime Minister said.

“Nepal and Thailand have cordial trade and tourism relations. Now, we will work together on international agenda including climate change,” he added.

As he said, Thai Prime Minister Shinawatra has been invited to visit Nepal and it will be implemented soon.

The Prime Minister arrived Bangkok on Tuesday, leading the 21-member entourage to the Sixth Summit of Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multisectoral, Technical and Economic Cooperation. He is the first Prime Minister of Nepal to visit Thailand.

Despite long-standing friendly relations between Nepal and Thailand, the official visit by the Head of Government of Nepal to Thailand had not taken place before.

The then Prime Minister of Thailand Prem Tinsulanonda had visited Nepal in 1983.

The Prime Minister’s entourage includes his spouse Radhika Shakya, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr Arzu Rana Deuba, Bishnu Prasad Rimal, the Chief Political Advisor to the Prime Minister, Dr Yuba Raj Khatiwada, Chief Secretary Eak Narayan Aryal and Foreign Ministry’s Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai among others.

The Prime Minister will return home on April 5.

Nepal, Thailand sign eight MoUs during PM’s official visit

Nepal and Thailand have witnessed today the signing of various six Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs): two from the government level and remaining six from the non-government side during Prime Minister Oli’s ongoing official visit to Thailand.

Before the signing of the documents, Prime Minister Oli and Prime Minister of Thailand, Paetongtarn Shinawatra, held a bilateral meeting

On the occasion, the two exchanged perspectives focusing on political and bilateral relations, trade and economic cooperation, and the cooperation in aviation, tourism, cultural and development sectors. They also addressed issues of regional and multisectoral concerns.

Foreign Minister Dr. Arzu Rana Deuba and Thailand’s Minister for Culture, Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol, signed the MoU to promote cooperation in the cultural sector. Similarly, the Foreign Minister and Thai Minister for Tourism and Sports, Sorawong Thienthong, signed the MoU on tourism cooperation.

Other MoUs were signed between Nepal Netra Jyoti Sangh and Mahidol University in Thailand, Janata Agro and Forestry Nepal (JFL) and Kasetsart University in Thailand, the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry and the Board of Trade of Thailand, and Kathmandu University and Siam University in Thailand. These understandings aim to enhance bilateral cooperation in their respective fields.

The Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) and the Federation of Thai Industries, as well as the Nepal Chamber of Commerce and the Tourism Council of Thailand, are the remaining non-government parties to sign MoUs.