Ambassador of Thailand to Pakistan Chakkrid Krachaiwong says Thailand has worked closely with our ASEAN family in Islamabad to enhance cooperation with Pakistan
ANSAR M BHATTI
ISLAMABAD: Ambassador of Thailand to Pakistan Chakkrid Krachaiwong has said although Thailand and Pakistan have enjoyed diplomatic relations for 72 years, our bonds have been established for more than two thousand years/ through Gandhara route.
And what we should be excited the most is the historical visit of Phra Anil Sakya because Phra Anil was born in Sakaya family which is the same family of the Lord Buddha himself and he was here in Pakistan!
The Ambassador made these remarks on the occasion of the National Day of Thailand. Dr. Umar Saif, Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication was the chief guest on the occasion. The Thai artists presented traditional cultural performance and received huge applause from the audience.
Thai ambassador further said following the election in Thailand, the new government assumed its duty in September. This is a great opportunity to further deepen our cooperation.
‘Our total trade has reached 1.65 billion USD in 2022 but there is much more we can do to increase trade under Pakistan National Single Window and I hope to see measures to lower trade barriers and increase investment facilitation. I trust that Pakistan-Thailand FTA will be an extremely important vehicle in boosting our trade. Thailand strongly supports the conclusion of our FTA at the earliest opportunity’.
He said The 5th of December is an auspicious occasion as we commemorate National Day of the Kingdom of Thailand, the Birthday Anniversary of the late King Bhumibol and Thailand’s Father’s Day. The 5th December is also recognized by the UN as “World Soil Day” to acknowledge the late King’s contributions / in soil science for the improvement of livelihood of people.
He said, the year 2023 is an exciting year for Thailand – Pakistan relations. Many historical moments have happened that reflect our strong ties/ and promising future.
He said, while Thailand is always proud to host visitors from Pakistan for tourism purpose, he wished Pakistanis to consider Thailand’s world-class health care and wellness services and internationally recognized educational institutions.
‘We can also benefit from skillful IT experts from Pakistan /and Thailand’s advance IT infrastructures/ to create a powerful global IT powerhouse supporting world businesses.
‘I am excited to meet a team of Thai cyclists who biked from Islamabad to Gilgit for 2 months. They came back with unforgettable memories of the locals/ they met along the way. With the shared values we have in living in peace and harmony, is the reason why we feel very connected/ and are able to create bonds with the Pakistanis in no time.
He added, another historical event that happened this year is that, for the first time, Thailand, a country with no history in Cricket has set foot in Pakistan when Thailand Emerging Women Cricket Team came here to compete in T20/ with West Indies and Pakistan. Having the opportunity to compete in this tournament / not only help them gain more experiences
but also help create bond and friendship among the players.
As an active member of ASEAN, Thailand has worked closely with our ASEAN family in Islamabad to enhance cooperation with Pakistan in
3 pillars of ASEAN which are Political-Security, Economic, and Socio-Cultural.
Pakistan has a lot to offer. Gandhara civilization is not only about Buddhism but also covers wide range of knowledge. Taxila is home to wisdom, philosophy, medical, and technologies. This is the treasure that belong to Pakistan, he added.
