President Putin Calls Thailand One of Russia's "Good and Stable Partners"

Russia's government believes that the visit of Thailand's Prime Minister to Moscow will "give a good push" to the development of economic relations between the two countries, said Vladimir Putin when meeting Thailand's Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra in the Kremlin. Russia's President noted that economic ties between Russia and Thailand, which had established longstanding friendly relations, had been developing "rather well" and pointed to the fact that trade between the two countries "was approaching" 500,000,000 dollars. In general, Thailand is one of Russia's "good and stable partners" in the Asian Pacific region, he said.

Cooperation in new directions, for example, in high technologies, has also been developing rather well, Russia's President stressed. Perhaps, Thaksin Shinawatra "understands the importance and specific character of this sphere better than others, as he himself worked in this sector," he pointed out.

Thaksin Shinawatra, in his turn, noted that Russia-Thailand relations had a centenary history and expressed his regret about a fourteen-year gap in bilateral relations. In the last fourteen years "there have been no visits and there are many issues to discuss".