Foreign Minister Dr. A.K. Abdul Momen met his Thai couterlart Don Pramudwinai in Bangkok on the sidelines of the 26th ASEAN Regional Forum this evening. During the meeting, Bangladesh Foreign Minister mentioned that the Government of Bangladesh attaches highest priority in maintaining good relations with the neighboring countries. Both Ministers expressed satisfaction over the existing bilateral relations. Dr. Momen accentuated on increase of bilateral trade and investment and collaboration in different areas. He thanked the Thai Government for supporting the initiative of the establishment of Bangabandhu Chair PhD fellowship at Asian Institute of Thailand and stressed on making the best use of this mechanism. He sought Thai Foreign Minister’s support for Thai investment in Bangladesh, particularly in agro- based industries. Both Foreign Ministers agreed to promote and facilitate more interactions among the businessmen from both sides.
On Rohingya issue, Dr. Momen mentioned that Bangladesh has a lot of expectations from Thailand as the current Chair of ASEAN to resolve this issue. He sought Thai help in early repatriation of Rohingyas in safety and security. He also highlighted the negative impact of the presence of these large number of Rohingyas on host community and the potential security risk for the entire region. The Thai Foreign Minister assured that Thailand will continue working to resolve this issue.
