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Thai PM’s visit to Russia to give new impetus to bilateral relations - Russian ambassador

He expressed the view that under the relations the two countries had been having recently the incident, where Viktor Bout was extradited to the US, would be impossible

BANGKOK, July 8 (Itar-Tass) - Russia and Thailand have been developing relations of mutual trust and respect, and a new impetus will be given by the visit to Moscow of Thailand’s Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, Russia’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary in the Kingdom of Thailand Alexander Mariasov said.

“Russia and Thailand have been developing the relations of trust and mutual respect,” the ambassador said. “This is clear from the active political contacts at the high level.”

He said that during the APEC summit in Vladivostok in September of the previous year, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin had a meeting with Thailand’s Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra. In March of the current year, Moscow welcomed Thailand’s Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul.

“He had very productive meetings with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov,” Mariasov said. Tovichakchaikul “during his visit co-chaired the fifth meeting of the commission on trade and economic cooperation between the two countries.”

“I am sure that Yingluck Shinawatra’s visit to Russia will give a new impetus to our bilateral relations in all spheres,” the Russian ambassador said.

He expressed the view that under the relations the two countries had been having recently the incident, where Viktor Bout was extradited to the US, like it happened three years earlier, would be simply impossible.

“The very staying of Viktor Bout in Thailand and the further extradition to the US were, as we stated several times, violations of the existing international norms. Moreover, in Thailand itself, quite many people, including the political elite, stated many times that the actions on the case did not comply fully with the international law,” Alexander Mariasov said.

He continued saying the extradition happened mostly because of “a big pressure from the US.”

“This happened in the time of the previous government. The country’s new leadership, which was elected in 2011, had different attitude towards Bout’s case and stated that should it be at power at that time, the situation of the kind could not have happened,” the ambassador said.

Mariasov added that the court investigations into the reasons for Viktor Bout’s extradition were still underway in Thailand.

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