Visiting Belgian Crown Prince meets Thai commerce minister

BANGKOK, March 18 (TNA) - Belgian Crown Prince Philippe, who is paying a state visit to Thailand from March 17-23 to boost bilateral cooperation, met Thai Commerce Minister Boonsong Teriyapirom in Bangkok on Monday, during which the visiting Belgian Crown Prince was briefed on Thailand's economic overview. Senior officials of the Belgian government and those of the Thai Commerce Ministry also attended the meeting, during which they discussed the expansion of bilateral trade and investment between Thailand and Belgium, as well as progress on planned free trade agreement or FTA negotiations between Thailand and the 27-member European Union (EU). The Crown Prince of Belgium, in his capacity as the honorary chairman of the Belgian Foreign Trade Board, is visiting allied countries with potential and readiness to promote cooperation with his European nation in various areas, especially economic cooperation, and Thailand is among his destinations. Later, the visiting Belgian Crown Prince and his entourage, including representatives of the Belgian government and the private sector, as well as those of Thai agencies concerned, attended a lecture on “Thailand at a Glance”, which included the Kingdom’s planned participation in the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) by 2015. (TNA)