BANGKOK (Feb 8): Malaysia and Thailand will ink four Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) to explore potential cooperation in the fields of energy and digital economy in conjunction with the official visit of Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said Anwar will witness the exchange of the four MOUs at the Government House in Bangkok together with Thailand Prime Minister Prayuth Chan o-cha.
Zambry said the four MOUs are between Digital Economy Corporation Sdn Bhd (MDEC) and Digital Economy Promotion Agency of Thailand; Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) and Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT); TNB Renewables Sdn Bhd and Planet Utility Co Ltd; as well as TNB Power Generating Sdn Bhd and B Grimm Power Public Co Ltd.
“The signing of the four MOUs will allow both countries to explore potential collaboration in the fields of energy and digital economy that is of mutual interest,” he told a media conference on Wednesday night ahead of the prime minister’s official visit to Thailand.
Also present at the media conference was Malaysian Ambassador to Thailand Datuk Jojie Samuel.
Anwar will undertake his maiden two-day visit to Thailand on Thursday (Feb 9) to meet his counterpart Prayuth to discuss the way forward in strengthening the multifaceted cooperation between Malaysia and Thailand.
This is Anwar’s fourth international official visit after Indonesia, Brunei and Singapore since he was sworn in as the 10th Prime Minister on Nov 24 last year.
“This visit will reflect the close bilateral ties between Malaysia and Thailand that have been built upon mutual trust and partnership.
“This symbiotic relationship has benefited the people from both countries through cooperation in various sectors, especially through cross-order cooperation,” he said.
Anwar is scheduled to give a speech on “The Future of ASEAN” during a meeting with the “Captains of Industry” and the business community on Friday (Feb 10).
Last year, Thailand was Malaysia’s seventh largest trading partner globally and third largest among Asean countries, with total trade amounting to RM122.03 billion (US$27.75 billion), an increase of 17.9% compared to the value recorded in 2021.
Total exports to Thailand rose by 18.9% totalling RM65.84 billion while total imports from Thailand recorded an increase of 16.7% amounting to RM56.19 billion compared with the previous year.
