KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad will make an official visit to Thailand on Wednesday to push forward bilateral ties and the peace process in Southern Thailand that Malaysia has facilitated.
The visit is a part of a series of foreign trips after Mahathir assumed office in May, Malaysia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
Mahathir is expected to meet his counterpart Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha during the two-day visit, which will provide an opportunity for both leaders to strengthen bilateral relations and cooperation between the two countries, the statement said.
The visit is also expected to add momentum to the Southern Thailand peace dialogue process where Malaysia has served as facilitator for the peace talks between the Thai government and the militants.
It would also allow Malaysia to highlight the government's current policies and its stand particularly on issues of mutual concern, and provide an opportunity to exchange views on regional and global issues of common interest, the statement added.
Malaysia's total trade with Thailand in 2017 recorded a significant growth of 18.43 percent amounting to 98.69 billion ringgit (23 billion U.S. dollars) from 86.46 billion ringgit (20 billion U.S. dollars) in 2016, as Thailand is Malaysia's fifth largest trading partner and the second largest among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries after Singapore.
