Malaysia-Thailand cooperation well-progressive in all areas

BANGKOK, June 24 (TNA) - Bilateral ties and cooperation between Malaysia and Thailand have been well-progressive in all dimensions. Deputy Government Spokesman Lieutenant General Werachon Sukondhapatipak told journalists that Malaysian Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad and his Thai counterpart General Prayut Chan-ocha expressed their appreciation to the well-progressive two-way cooperation between Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok in all areas during their bilateral talks in Bangkok on June 23 on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit 2019 and related forums. The deputy spokesman stated that the Thai prime minister extended his special thankfulness to the Malaysian government for playing the key role as the facilitator in the peace negotiation process between representatives of the Thai government and insurgent groups in the Thai Far South and stressed on the Thai administration's policy on addressing the problem of violent unrest in the southernmost Thai region through peaceful means. The deputy spokesman said the Thai leader also thanked the Malaysian government for expediting the solution to the problem of persons with two nationalities, who hold both the Malaysian and the Thai citizenship. The deputy spokesman revealed that both the Malaysian and the Thai leaders agreed as well that Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok will speed up cross-border connectivity projects between the two neighboring countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), including the ones on the construction of the new friendship bridge across the Sungi-Golok River and a road linking Thailand's new Sadao Customs Checkpoint in Songkhla Province and Malaysia's Bukit Kayu Hitam Customs Checkpoint in the Kedah State, aimed to further boost their tourism and border trade through special economic zones (SEZs) of both countries. According to the deputy spokesman, the Thai prime minister, meanwhile, praised his Malaysian counterpart for having played his significant roles for the progress of the 10-nation ASEAN Community (AC). Playing the role of the ASEAN chairmanship in 2019, Thailand hosted this year's ASEAN Summit and related forums at The Athenee Hotel in the capital during June 20-23. (TNA)