Thai PM Srettha to Visit Cambodia in September
The upcoming visit to Cambodia has been discussed during a meeting between Soeugn Rathchavy, secretary of state of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Sarun Charoensuwan, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand. Photo: MFA-IC
- By Torn Chanritheara
- September 18, 2023 3:06 PM
PHNOM PENH – Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin will pay an official visit to Cambodia later this month as the two neighboring countries are looking to foster ties for mutual benefits.
This will be Srettha’s first foreign official visit since assuming office in late August. For undisclosed reasons, he missed the 43rd ASEAN Summit, which was held in Jakarta from Sept. 4 to 7.
The upcoming visit to Cambodia has been discussed during a meeting between Soeung Rathchavy, secretary of state of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Sarun Charoensuwan, permanent secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Thailand.
Rathchavy led a delegation to Bangkok on Sept. 14-15, according to a statement from the Cambodian Foreign Ministry released on Sept. 17.
The two officials “had an in-depth discussion on bilateral cooperation between the Kingdom of Cambodia and the Kingdom of Thailand in all fields, such as political-security, economy, trade, investment, education, tourism, labor, demining, and technical cooperation,” it said.
“Both sides also focused their discussion on the preparations for the upcoming official visit of His Excellency Srettha Thavisin, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, to the Kingdom of Cambodia at the end of September 2023,” the statement read, adding that the “bilateral relations and cooperation between the two Kingdoms will be further strengthened and expanded for the mutual interests of the two people.”
PM Hun Manet took office on Aug. 22, the same day that Srettha was elected by the Thai Parliament’s two houses. Both men spoke on the phone briefly after to congratulate each other on assuming the top position.
Thailand is one of Cambodia’s largest trade partners with two-way trade volume totaling $2.6 billion from January to August 2023, according to data released by the General Department of Customs and Excise.
Cambodian exports to Thailand increased by 5.4 percent, to $646.84 million, compared to the same period last year. Imports from Thailand dropped by 25.8 percent, to $1.9 billion.
