Singapore's parliament president visits Thailand

BANGKK, August 28 (TNA) - Thai Parliament President Somsak Kiatsuranont welcomed his visiting Singaporean counterpart H.E.Mdm Halimah Yacob at the Thai Parliament building in Bangkok on Wednesday. During their meeting, the Singaporean Parliament President said Thailand and Singapore have had sound relations for a long time and she hopes her visit will further expand bilateral trade and investment of the two countries and facilitate the formation of the ASEAN Community (AC). She also mentioned that Thailand is a popular tourist destination for Singaporean travelers and Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s planned visit to the island state late this year should further boost bilateral trade and investment between the two neighboring countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The visiting Singaporean Parliament President also invited Somsak, who is also the Thai House Speaker, to visit Singapore. Somsak echoed that both countries have had close relations, especially in tourism, acknowledging that the Thai Parliament has formed two working groups to work out foreign and legal affairs to support the AC, set to be formed by 2015. The Singaporean Parliament President is paying an official visit to Thailand as the guest of the Thai Parliament from August 27-29. (TNA)