The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, has received the Open Letters of the Ambassador-Designate of the Kingdom of Thailand to Ghana, resident in Abuja, H.E. Thirapath Mongkolnavin.
During their engagement, the Minister encouraged Thailand to consider establishing a permanent diplomatic presence in Ghana as part of efforts to deepen and expand bilateral relations between the two countries.
On areas of potential cooperation, the Minister expressed Ghana’s readiness to explore Labour Mobility Agreement with Thailand, noting that Ghana had a young population and a pool of trained professionals whose expertise could be made available to partner countries. He cited Ghana’s ongoing efforts to pursue similar arrangements with countries in the Caribbean as a model for further engagement.
The Minister also highlighted Ghana’s interest in securing partner-country status with BRICS, and her desire to leverage on Thailand’s successful experience in that regard.
On his part, Ambassador-Designate Mongkolnavin thanked the Minister for Foreign Affairs for the warm reception and highlighted Thailand’s Africa Initiative, which seeks to strengthen partnerships with countries across the continent. He described Ghana as an important partner and expressed Thailand’s readiness to work closely to identify and develop mutually beneficial areas of cooperation. He proposed the establishment of a formal mechanism for political consultations between the two countries, through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
He further identified agriculture, particularly rice production, as an area with considerable potential for enhanced collaboration, including the sharing of rice farming techniques and expertise. He noted the contribution of Thai companies operating in Ghana, many of which employ Ghanaian nationals.