BANGKOK, Feb 21 — Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is scheduled to visit South Korea this weekend to attend Ms Park Geun-hye’s inauguration as president and will later visit Hong Kong on Monday.
Ms Yingluck will visit South Korea on Sunday and Monday at the invitation of President-Elect Park Geun-hye to attend her presidential inauguration, a significant event showcasing women’s empowerment in the administration of state affairs.
Thai Prime Minister will take this opportunity to congratulate the first female president of Korea and will call on President-Elect Park Geun-hye to jointly promote the development of women’s empowerment in the region.
The Thai premier will also reaffirm the incoming president of South Korea as Thailand’s “strategic partner”, an initiative during the administration of President Lee Myung-bak, and Thailand’s intent to work with South Korea on the goal of a US$13 billion mutual trade volume in five years, as agreed earlier with the outgoing president.
This year marks the 55th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Thailand and South Korea.
With South Korea’s considerable success in water management, the Thai prime minister also plans to invite the new South Korean president to attend the Second Asia-Pacific Water Summit (2nd APWS) to be hosted by Thailand in May.
PM Yingluck will also pay a courtesy call on outgoing President Lee Myung-bak at the presidential residence to thank him for his constant efforts to strengthen the mutual relations between the two countries and to bid him farewell, and attend dinner hosted by the Speaker of South Korean’s National Assembly, Kang Chang-hee, in honour of the Thai prime minister.
On Monday evening and Tuesday, Ms Yingluck will make a state visit to Hong Kong as invited by Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying. Ms Yingluck will take the opportunity to emphasise investment opportunities in Thailand formulated under the national strategies in order to draw leading investors and financiers from Hong Kong, and will also present Thailand’s potential as the major regional connectivity hub.
In addition, the Ministry of Finance together with the Board of Investment of Thailand will hold a parallel event under the theme “Hong Kong Roadshow “Thailand’s Strategies: A Road Map for Real Opportunities”.
The event’s activities include a keynote speech by Deputy Prime Minister/Finance Minister Kittiratt Na Ranong on investment opportunities in Thailand formulated under the national strategies, a seminar to promote investment in Thailand, and meetings between Thailand’s executive bankers and financiers and their Hong Kong counterparts. (MCOT online news)
