KATHMANDU: Nepal and Thailand have agreed to further deepen bilateral cooperation in key areas including trade, investment, tourism, agriculture, culture and education.
Nepal’s Ambassador to Thailand Dhan Bahadur Oli held a meeting on Thursday with Urasa Mongkolnavin, Director-General of the Department of South Asian, Middle East and African Affairs under Thailand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
During the meeting, both sides discussed ways to expand mutual cooperation and strengthen existing engagements between the two countries.
They also reviewed the implementation status of eight Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) signed between Nepal and Thailand last year, stressing the need for effective implementation.
According to a press statement issued by the Nepali Embassy, both sides highlighted the importance of easing visa procedures and improving tourism services on a reciprocal basis to boost people-to-people exchanges.
The two sides also agreed to enhance cooperation in sharing intelligence and information to combat transnational crimes, including human trafficking, money laundering and cybercrime.
Discussions were also held on advancing proposed bilateral agreements on agricultural cooperation and mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, along with exchanging feedback on draft texts.
The meeting also touched on holding the next session of the Nepal–Thailand Joint Consultative Mechanism in Nepal at a mutually convenient date.
Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation at regional and multilateral forums, including support for each other’s candidatures in international organizations.
They further discussed enhancing trade complementarities and developing value chains between Nepali and Thai products, including integrating Himalayan and ocean-based goods and services to create added value.
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