Anutin to welcome Myanmar leader for talks on business, pollution, drugs and scams

Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Friday that Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, Myanmar’s president, will make an official visit to Thailand next week as a guest of the government.

Anutin said the two sides would hold talks over two days, including bilateral discussions and four-eyes talks.

He said Min Aung Hlaing would also meet the Thai-Myanmar Business Council, as Thailand now includes economic and private-sector frameworks when receiving foreign leaders.

The prime minister said the private sector would be brought into the discussions to strengthen relations, support business matching and promote economic cooperation.

Asked whether toxic contamination would be a key issue in the talks, Anutin said it would be among the topics raised. Other issues would include haze, ethnic minorities, drug trafficking and scam networks.

Asked whether toxic contamination could affect tourism and the economy, Anutin said the two countries would have to discuss the matter as neighbours with close relations.

“If one country is affected by actions or consequences from the other, we must work together to solve the problem,” he said.

Anutin added that he believed Myanmar would also raise issues on which it wanted cooperation, and both sides would need to sit down and discuss them.

“Our basic relationship is already good. We want to be friends with every country, especially our neighbours,” he said.