3rd meeting of VN-Thailand Joint Committee for bilateral cooperation convened

The delegates to the 3rd meeting of the Viet Nam-Thailand Joint Committee for bilateral cooperation

The meeting serves as a platform to review bilateral cooperation in politics, national defense-security, economy, trade, investment, transport, energy, agriculture, education, and regional and international coordination among others, and discuss ways to spur their ties.

The two sides expressed their pleasure at the positive advancements of the Viet Nam-Thailand strategic partnership over the past time, highly valuing the joint efforts made by ministries, agencies and localities in implementing the action program to deploy the strategic partnership in the period 2014-2018. Viet Nam and Thailand vowed to work closely together to sign another action program for the next phase.

The two countries agreed to accelerate the organization of the 4^th Cabinet meeting jointly chaired by PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Thai counterpart Prayut Chan-o-cha in order to strengthen mutual understanding and trust while consolidating the strategic partnership.

The two sides pledged to double efforts to realize the two-way trade goal of US$20 billion by 2020 in the direction of making the trade ties more balanced and sustainable.

Both countries also committed to further facilitating import and export of farm produce especially fruits.

As Thailand is the rotating Chair of ASEAN in 2019, followed by Viet Nam in 2020, the two sides agreed to coordinate with other ASEAN members to promote ASEAN centrality in regional issues, particularly the East Sea issue.

They underlined the strategic importance of (i) ensuring peace, security, safety of aviation and navigation in the East Sea, (ii) peacefully settling disputes, (iii) exercising self-restraint, (iv) avoiding making the situation complicated, (v) non-militarization, respect for international law and the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, (vi) full implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) and early conclusion of a practical and effective Code of Conduct in the East Sea.

During his stay in Thailand, Minh paid a courtesy call on Thai PM Prayut Chan-o-cha.

Prayut Chan-o-cha stressed on the importance of the Viet Nam-Thailand strategic partnership and spoke highly of the outcomes of the 3^rd meeting of the Viet Nam-Thailand Joint Committee for bilateral cooperation.

Minh took the occasion to extend thanks to the Government and people of Thailand for having created favorable conditions for Vietnamese community to live and work in Thailand./.

By Ngoc Van