Thailand, Albania to promote bilateral trade and investment

BANGKOK, March 9 (TNA) - Thai Deputy Prime Minister Yuthasak Sasiprapa received visiting Albanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Edmond Haxhinasto at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangkok on Friday. After the meeting, Thai Foreign Ministry Spokesman Thani Thongpakdi, who is also Director-General of the ministry's Department of Information, told journalists that both sides discussed bilateral relations, as Thailand and Albania are celebrating the 30th anniversary of their diplomatic relations this year. Thani acknowledged this is the first official visit of a high-ranking Albanian official to Thailand, as invited by the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Albanian side expressed intention to further boost trade and investment relations with Thailand. Thani said that the visiting Albanian deputy premier also urged Thailand to seal a bilateral agreement on investment protection and promotion, termination of double taxations and visa waiver for diplomats and government officials. According to the spokesman, the Albanian deputy premier proposed as well meetings of Thai and Albanian business operators to further promote bilateral trade and investment, especially in food, as Thailand is a major food exporting country and has potential for halal food exports, while Albania is an Islamic country importing rice from Thailand. The senior official revealed that the Thai and Albanian foreign ministries also inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to boost political, security, economic, trade and cultural cooperation at bilateral and multilateral levels. (TNA)