Kuala Lumpur - Malaysia will enhance cooperation with Thailand to bring peace and stability to its troubled southern provinces, including through the three-E initiatives, Malaysian Foreign Minister Rais Yatim said in a statement issued here on Wednesday.
The three E`s -- employment, entrepreneurship and education -- which include study visits, skills training and extending of scholarships to 60 students from southern Thailand to study at Malaysian residential schools, have progressed well.
Both countries had strong ties in various fields such as trade and investment, education, defense and security, executed through bilateral mechanisms in the Joint Commission Meeting, Joint Development Strategy for Border Areas and the General Border Committee Rais said.
"We celebrated the 50th anniversary of our bilateral relations in August 2007, and it is now opportune for us to begin charting the future direction of our bilateral relations for the next 50 years," he said.
Thai Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej, who arrived here on Wednesday evening for a two-day visit, his first here since appointed to the post, is scheduled to meet with his Malaysian counterpart Abdullah Ahmad Badawi on Thursday.
"The two leaders are expected to discuss issues of mutual interest aimed at strengthening friendship and bilateral cooperation between Malaysia and Thailand," Rais said.
The visit was part of Samak`s introductory tour of Southeast Asian capitals following his appointment as prime minister on Jan.28, Rais said.
Trade between Malaysia and Thailand had grown from 50.11 billion ringgit (16.01 billion U.S. dollars) in 2006 to 55.13 billion ringgit (17.61 billion U.S. dollars) in 2007.
Malaysian investments in Thailand surpassed the 1 billion ringgit (319.49 million U.S. dollars) mark in 2007 while Thailand`s investments in Malaysia amounted to 128 million ringgit (40.89 million U.S. dollars).
Source: english.people.com (24 April 2008)
