国际英语新闻:Thailand, Russia pledge to expand cooperation

BANGKOK, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai held talks with visiting Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Bangkok on Tuesday, and both sides agreed to expand their cooperation to potential areas.

Lavrov paid an official visit to Thailand on Tuesday prior to his participation in the ministerial meeting between Russia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Wednesday.

According to a statement from Thailand's foreign ministry, both ministers noted with satisfaction the overall relations and cooperation between Thailand and Russia which have become more dynamic over the past four years.

They agreed to follow up on implementation of the 7th Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation between Thailand and Russia in December 2018.

The two ministers also agreed that the two countries should expand cooperation in other potential areas, including science and technology, security, and education.

The two minister also exchanged their views on regional and international issues of mutual interest such as the ASEAN-Russia cooperation, the situation in the Asia-Pacific region, and the Thai-Russian cooperation within the United Nations framework.

The statement said Thai foreign minister Don proposed that Russia purchase more food and agricultural products from Thailand and jointly address the non-tariff barriers between the two countries, particularly the mutual inspection and certification of the pending livestock and fishery processing plants.

The Thai foreign minister also invited Russia to invest in Thailand's Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) and S-Curve industries in the areas of Russian expertise, such as aerospace, digital and smart city.