April 18, 2013, at 1745hrs, His Majesty King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa of the Kingdom of Bahrain graciously paid a visit to the Government House and was humbly received by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. After attending the official welcoming ceremony, H.M. the King of Bahrain had discussion with PM Yingluck at the Ivory Room, Thai Khu Fah Building, Government House.
Participating in the meeting were Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Commerce Minister Boonsong Teriyapirom, Energy Minister Pongsak Raktapongpaisal ((in his capacity as the Minister-in-Attendance), Industry Minister Prasert Boonchaisuk, and PM’s Secretary General Suranand Vejajiva.
The Bahraini delegation comprised His Majesty King Hamad Bin Isa Al Khalifa of the Kingdom of Bahrain, and his son, H.H. Shaikh Naser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa; H.E. Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Bin Salman Alkhalifah, Minister of Royal Court; H.E. Shaikh Khalid Bin Ahmed Bin Mohammed, Minister of Foreign Affairs; H.E. Dr. Hasan Bin Abdullah Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce; H.E. Dr. Mohammed Bin Abdul Ghaffar Abdulla, Advisor to H.M. the King of Bahrain; H.E. Dr. Majid Bin Ali Al-Naimi, Minister of Education; H.E. Shaikh Ahmed Bin Ateyatalla Alkhalifa, Minister of Follow-Up at the Royal Court; and H.E. Mr. Adel Yousif Sater, Bahraini Ambassador to the Kingdom of Thailand.
PM’s Secretary Suranand Vajajiva revealed detail of the meeting as follows:
PM Yingluck humbly welcomed H.M. the King of Bahrain and the delegation on the occasion of his state visit to Thailand. The Kingdom of Bahrain is the closest ally of Thailand in the Middle East, and Thailand intends to strengthen further bilateral relations with Bahrain.
PM Yingluck commended Bahrain for its success in internal political reconciliation through the establishment of Arab Court of Human Rights as well as a plan to further set up twelve state-of the-art schools by H.M. the King of Bahrain for which he was graciously conferred Kuwait’s Humanitarian Personality of the Year award. The Government of Thailand fully supported the reconciliation process in Bahrain. There was also an establishment of the Independent Commission for National Conciliation in Thailand itself to investigate and find out truths under the Rule of Law, and it was the Government’s duty to ensure the righteousness and transparency of the process.
PM Yingluck also expressed appreciation for Bahrain in supporting Thailand in OIC on the issue of Southern insurgency. She humbly reported to H.M. the King of Bahrain on the initiation of peace talk to find the right solution to the root of problem with an intention to curb violence in the southernmost provinces of Thailand.
Thailand and Bahrain’s mutual relations had been remarkably boosted particularly since the official visit of PM Yingluck to Bahrain followed by continuous exchanges of visits among high-level officials of the two countries. The most significant factor in the bilateral relations between Thailand and Bahrain was to promote and support mutual cooperation and contacts between the private sectors of the two kingdoms.
Bahrain particularly supported Thai investors to invest in Bahrain in such areas as construction, food, agriculture, and energy, and encouraged its citizens to visit Thailand for the purposes of tourism, medical service, and public health. Thailand and Bahrain also agreed on the cooperation in food and energy security. For this, PM Yingluck welcomed the Bahraini private sector to invest in the rice silos in Thailand.
On regional cooperation, Thailand and Bahrain intended to further develop regional cooperation through Thailand’s support on Bahrain’s hosting the 12th ACD Ministerial meeting, and Bahrain’s expansion of cooperation with ASEAN and the GCC countries. The Thai Government believed that to keep the momentum between ASEAN and GCC partnerships would be of great benefits to both regions. Thailand also confirmed its support for the act of Government of Bahrain in the ILO Governing Body (ILO-GB) meeting last month.
After the meeting, PM Yingluck humbly invited H.M. the King of Bahrain to attend the state dinner at the Outer Santi Maitree Building, Government House.