NZ PM visits Thailand Nov 17-20

BANGKOK, November 16 (TNA) - New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key is scheduled to pay a four-day official visit to Thailand from November 17-20, 2013, aimed mainly at strengthening trade and investment relations between the two allied countries. During the official visit, his first in his eight years in office so far, Key will confer with his Thai counterpart Yingluck Shinawatra, who is also Thai Defence Minister, on ways to further boost bilateral cooperation on trade, investment, tourism, education, science and technology and innovations between New Zealand and Thailand. Accompanied by some 30 New Zealand business operators, Key is also scheduled to attend the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Connect Asia-Pacific Summit in Bangkok early next week, which is jointly hosted by the Thai government and the ITU. Thailand and New Zealand have developed sound relations since the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1956. Two-way trade value between the two allied nations stood at about 50 billion baht last year, while more than 100,000 New Zealand's tourists visit Thailand annually and about 17,000 Thais travel to New Zealand yearly. Thai Premier Yingluck visited Thailand in March 2013. (TNA)