Thai Ambassador Ms. Makawadee SUMITMOR called on the Foreign Secretary Md. Jashim Uddin at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, today. Ambassador Sumitmor congratulated Ambassador Md. Jashim Uddin on his assumption of the office of the Foreign Secretary and reaffirmed Thailand’s commitment to strengthening bilateral ties in the coming days.
The Foreign Secretary and Ambassador discussed the areas of mutual interest concerning trade and investment, coastal shipping, agro business, tourism and people to people contact. Foreign Secretary emphasized holding regular bilateral consultations and finalising pending bilateral instruments at the earliest. Both expected that the BIMSTEC Summit would take place soon.
Foreign Secretary expressed satisfaction over the activation of ‘Visa Exemption Agreement’ for Bangladesh official passports from mid December 2024. Thai Ambassador Sumitmor informed that Thailand will introduce E-visa Service soon, where the applicants can apply online and receive e-visa electronically.
During the discussion, Thai Ambassador mentioned the successful visit of the Thai Trade delegation to Bangladesh in July 2024, which created positive impact on the Thai businessmen. Both underscored the necessity of convening 6th Joint Trade Committee (JTC) meeting in Dhaka as soon as possible, highlighting that this would pave the way for Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations. Thai Ambassador also flagged that the trial run of direct coastal shipping between Ranong Port and Chattogram Port may take place soon.
The Foreign Secretary sought Thai cooperation in sharing knowledge, innovation and expertise for promoting and branding Bangladeshi delicious cuisine.