Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul will lead a Thai delegation to pay an official visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) between 22 and 24 November 2011 upon the invitation extended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the UAE. He will be accompanied by Mr. Pichai Naripthaphan, Minister of Energy, Mr. Anon Sirisaengtaksin, President and CEO of the PTT Exploration and Production Public Company Limited (PTT-EP), Mr. Surong Bulakul, CEO of the Thai Oil Company Limited, and high-ranking officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Energy.
In Abu Dhabi, Foreign Minister Surapong will meet with his counterpart, His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the UAE, to discuss bilateral issues between Thailand and the UAE and regional and international issues of common concern. Furthermore, he is scheduled to have audiences with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Defence of the UAE, and with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces. In addition, he will call on Mr. Mohammed Bin Dharn Al Hamili, Minister of Energy of the UAE, to discuss ways to further deepen and expand cooperation on energy between the two countries.
Thailand and the UAE have long enjoyed close relations since the establishment of diplomatic relations on 12 December 1975. Thailand has two diplomatic missions in the UAE, namely the Royal Thai Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Royal Thai Consulate-General in Dubai. Conversely, the UAE has an Embassy in Bangkok. While the UAE is Thailand’s number-one trading partner in the Middle East with more than 11 billion US dollars in bilateral trade volume, Thailand is the major destination for more than 140,000 tourists from the UAE each year, who visit Thailand for tourism and medical services.
For further information, please contact the Press Division, Department of Information, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Tel.02-6435170, Fax.02-6435169, E-mail: div0704@mfa.go.th