Miss Yingluck Shinawatra, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, is scheduled to pay an official visit to the Republic of the Philippines on 19 January 2012, with the aim of introducing herself after assuming office as Prime Minister, as well as promoting and strengthening the close relations with the Philippines at both the bilateral and multilateral levels.
Important duties performed by the Prime Minister while in the Philippines include the laying of wreath at the Jose Rizal Monument and inspecting the honour guard at Malacanang Palace before paying a courtesy call on President Benigno S. Aquino III to discuss overall bilateral relations between Thailand and the Philippines. The discussion will cover important cooperation areas such as trade and investment, education, energy, agriculture, terrorism and drug trafficking, as well as exchanging of views on cooperation in ASEAN and within the region. After that, President Aquino III will host a luncheon in honour of the Prime Minister and her delegation. The Prime Minister is scheduled to return to Thailand on the same day.
To note, President Aquino III paid an official visit to Thailand during 26-27 May 2011. The said visit by the Prime Minister will thus reinforce the longstanding and continuing close ties and friendship between Thailand and the Philippines as founders of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) and ASEAN. It also provides an opportunity to move forward a broad spectrum of bilateral cooperation and forge the two countries’ further cooperation under the framework of ASEAN, as well as at the multilateral and international levels.
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