SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs ( MFA ) announced on Wednesday that Srettha Thavisin, the prime minister of Thailand, will travel to Singapore on Thursday( Oct 12 ) at the invitation of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Mr. Srettha may be making his first official trip to Singapore.
On October 12, 2023, Prime Minister Srettha will be given a symbolic welcome and will visit President Tharman Shanmugaratnam at the Istana, according to MFA.
” He will meet Prime Minister Lee, who will sponsor a special meal in his honor.”
Top leaders from the Secretariat of the Prime Minister and Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs may accompany Mr. Srettha on his journey, and he will also stop by the Singapore Stock Exchange, MFA added.
Past property tycoon Mr. Srettha was elected prime minister of Thailand on August 22, putting an end to decades of political impasse in the nation after a general election in May.
Singapore and Thailand enjoy hot and multifaceted relationships, underpinned by strong economic relationships, close institutional links, and normal social and people-to-people exchanges at all levels, Mr. Lee wrote in a letter of congratulations to Mr Srettha the following day.
According to Mr. Lee, the two nations have” long-standing and deep cooperation” in a variety of fields, including business, purchase, defense, and training.
In 1965, Singapore and Thailand formally established diplomatic ties, and in 2002, the two nations unveiled the Singapore-Thailand Enhanced Economic Relationship ( STEER ).
Singapore was Thailand’s eighth-largest trading partner in 2022, while Thailand ranked seventh.
Last year, bilateral trade between the two nations totaled S$ 42.1 billion( US$ 390.9 billion ), an increase of 23.4 % over the previous year.
Singapore accounted for 19 % of the purchase value from all international countries in the country during the first half of this year, according to the Thailand Board of Investment, making it Thailand’s second-largest resource of foreign direct investment.