Vietnamese PM in Bangkok for Joint Cabinets' Retreat

BANGKOK, July 23 (TNA) - Arriving in Thailand on his official visit to the country as the guest of the Thai government, Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has first met his Thai counterpart General Prayut Chan-ocha and co-chaired the Joint Vietnamese-Thai Cabinets' Retreat, the third of its kind, at Bangkok's Government House. Accompanied by his wife and Cabinet's members, the visiting Vietnamese prime minister was graciously welcomed by his Thai counterpart and his wife, Naraporn Chan-ocha, on Thursday morning at Bangkok's Government House, where he and his entourage inspected the guards of honour of the Royal Thai Armed Forces. The Vietnamese and Thai leaders then held bilateral talks on cooperation between Hanoi and Bangkok in several areas, including labour, investment promotion, agricultural trade, fisheries and transport connectivity, as well as regional and international cooperation. Both leaders later co-chaired the Joint Vietnamese-Thai Cabinets' Retreat, in which concerned Vietnamese and Thai Cabinets' members took part to discuss bilateral cooperation within the Vietnamese-Thai Strategic Partnership framework and set a joint vision for Vietnamese-Thai relations toward their forthcoming 5th decade of diplomatic relations for the sake of strong and sustainable strategic partnership. Other key issues on the agenda of the Vietnamese-Thai Cabinets' Retreat included bilateral cooperation on defence plans and anti-transnational crime, especially anti-drug and human trafficking, as well as reciprocal trade and investment facilitations and tourism promotion and even provincial-level collaboration. On the occasion, the Vietnamese and Thai premiers witnessed the signing of five agreements between Vietnam and Thailand, including a joint communiqué on the 3rd Joint Vietnamese-Thai Cabinets' Retreat, memoranda of understanding on labour cooperation and employment, as well as on the establishment of sister cities between Vietnam’s Kontum Province and Thailand’s northeastern Ubon Ratchathani Province and between Vietnam's Long An Province and Thailand's eastern Trat Province. The Thai prime minister and his wife also hosted a luncheon reception in honour of the visiting Vietnamese prime minister, his wife and his Cabinet's members. (TNA)