Joint Statement

between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Kingdom of Thailand

on the Occasion of the Official Visit of

His Excellency General Prayut Chan-o-cha,

Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand,

to the Kingdom of Bahrain

24 – 25 April 2017

          At the invitation of His Royal Highness Prince Khalifa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain, His Excellency General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, paid an official visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain from 24 – 25 April 2017. His Excellency the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand was accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Commerce, the Minister of Public Health, the Minister of Agriculture and Cooperatives, the Deputy Secretary-General of the Board of Investment of Thailand, and senior government officials. The visit coincided with the 40^th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Kingdom of Thailand.

           His Majesty King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa, King of the Kingdom of Bahrain, graciously granted an audience to His Excellency General Prayut Chan-o-cha on 25 April 2017. His Excellency the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand expressed his deep appreciation to the Government of Bahrain for supporting Thailand at both bilateral and multilateral levels. His Excellency the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand also reiterated Thailand’s determination to further strengthen the excellent relations between the two Kingdoms.

       His Royal Highness the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain also graciously granted an audience to His Excellency the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand on 25 April 2017, during which the two sides discussed key bilateral, regional and global issues and expressed their desire to further enhance the partnership between the two countries. Prior the meetings, there were two bilateral meetings between the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the two countries, as well as the meeting between Public Health Minister of Thailand and Minister of Health of Bahrain. 

      The two sides attach great importance to this official visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain, which also marks the first visit of His Excellency the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand to the Middle East. The visit reflects the priority the Kingdom of Thailand places on deepening the bilateral ties between the two countries, and also provides a good opportunity to further expand and advance bilateral cooperation in all areas.

       An official meeting chaired by His Royal Highness the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain and His Excellency the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand was held on 25 April 2017 at Al Gudaibiya Palace. The meeting was held in a cordial and friendly atmosphere, and was marked by a spirit of friendship, mutual respect and understanding, reflecting the close bond between the two countries. The two sides expressed their satisfaction with the current level of bilateral ties and took note of the continued mutual support received.

        The two sides emphasized the need to deepen and enhance their excellent bilateral cooperation, and reaffirmed their common aspiration to further promote their joint cooperation. The two sides exchanged views on topics of mutual interest, including political and economic affairs, human security, public health, food security, and energy security, aviation and sustainable urbanization, as well as regional and international issues, to promote peace, stability and prosperity at the regional and global levels.

       The two sides discussed current political developments in each country and took note of the positive steps in this respect. Both leaders expressed their full confidence in the success of Thailand’s path towards democracy and Bahrain’s ongoing democratic development.

        The two sides reaffirmed the importance of their bilateral High Joint Commission and agreed to hold the third High Joint Commission Meeting in Bahrain in 2017 at a date to be mutually agreed through diplomatic channels.

        The two sides, noting the potential of their respective economies, agreed to encourage their investors to foster closer economic and trade linkages. The Bahraini side took positive note of Thailand’s development projects, such as the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) and the Special Economic Zones (SEZs), as well as Thailand’s economic potential to be Bahrain’s gateway to ASEAN and the East Asia region, especially after the establishment of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015 which has greatly amplified Thailand’s economic and people-to-people linkages within the region. Thailand has been promoting the policy of Thailand + 1, and Thailand + ASEAN in advancing economic activities with our trade partners,
and invites Bahrain to explore similar approach as Bahrain +1 and Bahrain + GCC.

        The Thai side commended Bahrain’s progressive economic policy, as articulated in Bahrain’s Government Plan of Action 2015 – 2018 and    Bahrain’s Vision 2030, which has promoted Bahrain’s prosperity and well-being of the people of Bahrain. In addition, the Thai side commended the role of the Economic Development Board of Bahrain in promoting investment and enhancing economic growth in Bahrain. 

       The two leaders were satisfied with the increase of tourist flow and the promotion of two – way tourism and medical tourism. Recognizing the benefits mutually gained from promoting medical tourism among Bahraini tourists, Thailand reiterated her willingness to maintain the 90 – Day visa exemption scheme for the GCC nationals travelling to Thailand for medical purposes. 

       Recognizing the impact on national development and security of transnational crime involving human trafficking and narcotic drugs, both sides agreed to take necessary steps to develop comprehensive means to address such issues.

       The two sides recognized the benefits of exchanges in healthcare and medical professionals and specialists, and agreed to encourage such exchanges both at the government level and at the private sector levels.  Both sides also agreed to establish coordinators in public health cooperation.  Furthermore, both sides affirmed that a plan of action will be drawn up in order to maximize the use of the existing Memorandum of Understanding on Health Cooperation between Thailand and Bahrain.

       The Thai side took note of Bahrain’s interest in enhancing cooperation in public health, such as Bahrain’s Visiting Doctors Programme, and joint medical research.  In this connection, Thailand expressed her readiness to offer expertise and cooperation in this field to Bahrain. As a concrete preliminary step before pursuing more comprehensive cooperation in this area, the Thai side will promptly dispatch military medical personnel to support Bahrain’s endeavor to promote public health.

        The two sides also exchanged views on regional and multilateral issues and expressed deep concern on the ongoing violence and the deteriorating situation in the Middle East, especially in Syria and Yemen. The two sides were of the view that the international community should work urgently to address the situation in these countries, particularly at the humanitarian level, and to reduce the suffering of civilians. Furthermore, the two sides shared the view that the Middle East continues to play a critical role in maintaining global peace and stability.

        The two sides denounced terrorism in all of its forms and manifestations, regardless of its motives or goals. They called for serious actions to confront the threat of terrorism and reconfirmed their desire to strengthen their cooperation, at both the bilateral and multilateral levels, to combat terrorism and the financing of terrorism. In this context, Thailand welcomes the role played by Bahrain in joining the international coalition in operations against international terrorism. 

       The two sides stressed the importance of further promoting ASEAN-GCC relations. Thailand is pleased to serve as the current ASEAN-GCC coordinator for ASEAN and looks forward to working with Bahrain as the coordinator for the GCC. Both sides agreed to revitalize the ASEAN – GCC cooperation and explore the possibility of organizing the ASEAN-GCC Ministerial Meeting within 2017.

        The two sides expressed satisfaction with the positive developments of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD), and agreed to work closely together to strengthen the ACD framework and process.

        The Bahraini side commended the success of the Second ACD Summit, held in Bangkok in October 2016, where leaders and high-level representatives had constructive discussions on the shared future of the region. During the Summit, ACD Member States agreed to work together to achieve the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Thai side expressed its appreciation that His Royal Highness the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain paid an official visit to Thailand to attend the Second ACD Summit and made a significant contribution to the development of ACD, in particular Bahrain’s announcement to be Co – Prime Mover in five pillars of ACD cooperation.

        The two sides expressed their readiness to continue supporting each other’s global role and candidatures in the international arena. The Thai side expressed its support of Bahrain’s candidature for a Non-Permanent seat in UNSC for the term 2026 – 2027.

        The following Agreement/Memoranda of Understanding were signed during the visit:

       1. Protocol amending the Convention between the Government of theKingdom of Thailand and the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with Respect to Taxes on Income;

        2. Memorandum of Understanding on Agriculture Cooperation, between the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives of the Kingdom of Thailand and the Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture of the Kingdom of Bahrain; and

        3. Memorandum of Understanding between Prince of Songkla University and University of Bahrain.

       His Excellency the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand expressed his deep appreciation for the warm welcome and gracious hospitality accorded to him and the Thai delegation during this visit.

       His Excellency the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand extended a formal invitation to His Royal Highness the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain to visit the Kingdom of Thailand at the mutually convenient dates.

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