BANGKOK, July 30. /TASS/. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will start his two-day visit to Thailand on Tuesday, July 30. In Bangkok, he will meet with Thailand's Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai, and take part in the Russia-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) ministerial meeting.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said ahead of the visit that the sides will discuss prospects for cooperation with an emphasis on impelementing agreements at the highest level, and will also exchange opinions on pressing international and regional issues. They will also discuss ways to expand economic and investment cooperation with an aim of bringing bilateral trade turnover to the level of $10 bln. In particular, Moscow sees good prospects in expanding cooperation in the sphere of agriculture. Last year, bilateral trade turnover in agricultural products increased by 39%.

In the course of strengthening mutual trust, Moscow and Bangkok are also developing military cooperation. "Delegational exchanges are carried out on a regular basis. Russian Navy ships regularly visit Thailand's ports. Thai sailors made a reciprocal visit to Russia's Vladivostok in April this year," the Russian Foreign Ministry reminded.

Thailand also remains a popular tourist destination for Russians. In 2018, around 1.5 Russian tourists visited the Asian country. Russia and Thailand are working on opening a Russian consulate general on the island of Phuket in the nearest months.

Strategic partnership

The ASEAN ministerial meeting is held annually, and the Russian foreign minister attends it every year. The upcoming Russia-ASEAN ministerial meeting will be the first session in such format after the relations between Russia and ASEAN were recognized as a strategic partnership in November last year at the summit in Sngapore.

Russian Foreign Ministry's official spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that at the meeting, the sides will coordinate steps on further expanding cooperation in the Russia-ASEAN framework in political, economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres. "Among main priorities are strengthening coordination on key international and regional issues, stepping up joint efforts on countering new threats and challenges, including anti-terrorism and ensuring security of informational and communications systems," Zakharova said.

Special attention will be paid to cooperation in hi-tech and innovation spheres. Russia hopes to attract ASEAN partners to its projects in the spheres of digital economy, energy and infrastructure development. In the context of implementing Russian President Vladimir Putin's initiative on forming a common Eurasian partnership, it is also planned to discuss expanding ASEAN ties with the Eurasian Economic Union and Shanghai Cooperation Organization.