General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee and State President To Lam on June 9 received Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who is on an official visit to Vietnam and attending the third ASEAN Future Forum in Hanoi.
Welcoming the Thai leader, General Secretary and President Lam expressed his pleasure at meeting PM Anutin again after his recent official visit to Thailand in late May. He highly evaluated the significance of PM Anutin’s visit, which takes place at a time when bilateral cooperation continues to flourish and coincides with the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic relations. He expressed his confidence that the trip will contribute to advancing the two countries’ Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in a more substantive and effective manner.
For his part, PM Anutin said he was delighted to make his first official visit to Vietnam and thanked the Vietnamese leaders and people for their warm reception. He conveyed greetings from the King and Queen of Thailand to General Secretary and President Lam and his spouse, noting that their recent visit to Thailand had been a resounding success, leaving a strong impression on the Thai public and opening up new directions for bilateral cooperation.
The Thai PM briefed the host on the results of his highly productive talks with Vietnamese Prime Minister Le Minh Hung, saying that the two sides agreed on specific measures to implement agreements reached by high-ranking leaders of both countries, particularly the outcomes of General Secretary and President Lam’s recent visit to Thailand.
PM Anutin reaffirmed that Thailand views Vietnam as a close neighbour and trusted partner. He noted that the Thai delegation included three deputy prime ministers, six ministers, military commanders and senior officials, underscoring his country’s commitment to further strengthening bilateral ties across all sectors.
Discussing future cooperation, the Vietnamese leader called for stronger political trust, expanded collaboration in economic affairs, defence-security and people-to-people exchanges, and more frequent high-level contacts. He also stressed the importance of maintaining the effectiveness of existing bilateral cooperation mechanisms, particularly the Joint Cabinet Meeting mechanism. He affirmed that the CPV attaches importance to collaboration with Thai political parties, including the Bhumjaithai Party, to reinforce the political foundation and long-term orientation of the bilateral relations.
PM Anutin showed strong support for the directions proposed by the Vietnamese leader and pledged to effectively implement the “Three Connectivity” Strategy. He also highlighted plans to deepen cooperation in trade, investment, infrastructure connectivity, logistics, supply chains, science and technology, innovation, digital transformation, digital economy and artificial intelligence.
Both sides agreed to work towards balanced and sustainable trade growth, targeting 25 billion USD in bilateral trade and eventually 50 billion USD.
The two sides also agreed to expand cooperation through party, parliamentary and people-to-people channels, while continuing close coordination within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the United Nations, the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and Mekong sub-regional mechanisms, thereby contributing to peace, stability, cooperation and development in the region and the world./.
