Thailand and Saudi Arabia will sign agreements to raise the level of diplomatic and investment relations, during an upcoming visit to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, which is the first visit by senior members of the royal family to the Southeast Asian country in more than three decades, according to Bloomberg.
The deals will take place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Business Leaders meeting in Bangkok, which the Crown Prince will attend as a special guest, Deputy Government spokesman Rashada Dhanadirick said.
The agreements set out plans to strengthen diplomatic relations until 2024, including finding a “suitable site” for the construction of a Saudi embassy in Bangkok.
Rashadah said the two countries will also form a bilateral cooperation council and seek to encourage direct investment.
Rashadah said on Tuesday after the Thai cabinet approved the draft agreements that the treaties “will strengthen relations between Thailand and Saudi Arabia, with the aim of becoming a regional ally for each other.”
Bin Salman’s visit follows Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s visit to Riyadh in January, the first by a Thai leader since they broke off reports for a jewelry theft in 1989, which included a blue diamond and the subsequent killing of three Saudi diplomats.
During Prayuth’s visit, the two countries decided to appoint ambassadors soon and work on bilateral cooperation.
For its part, Saudi Arabia has not yet confirmed the crown prince’s planned visit, according to Bloomberg.
Earlier this week, Saudi Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih and representatives from the private sector attended an investment forum in Bangkok that included 60 Saudi and 150 Thai companies.
Thai Chamber of Commerce President Sanan Anjubulkul said in a statement Monday that Saudi Arabia is interested in investing in Thailand’s healthcare sector and is studying the country as a crude oil storage hub in the southeast and east. Asian.
Bloomberg reported that Siam Biwat, a Thai developer, wishes to invest in the huge Saudi Arabian project “The Line”, which is part of the Vision 2030 project to reduce dependence on oil.
The origin of the dispute
Diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Thailand began in 1957, then broke off in 1989. Despite this, the removal hasn’t been complete in the past three decades, says the former Saudi Foreign Ministry adviser and relations expert. International, Salem Al-Yami, to the Al-Hurra channel website earlier this year.
The dispute between Saudi Arabia and Thailand dates back to 1989, after a worker of Thai nationality named “Krinangkari Techamong” was accused of stealing a group of precious stones and jewels, including a rare piece called “blue diamond” from inside the palace of Prince Faisal bin Fahd, the first son of King Fahd. Bin Abdulaziz, who was sitting on the throne at the time.
According to the Associated Press, the 50-carat blue diamond was among gems and jewels worth an estimated $ 20 million in the theft that devastated relations between the two countries.
Following the theft incidents, three Saudi diplomats in Thailand were murdered in 1990, while a Saudi businessman who witnessed the killing of diplomats accused of following the jewelry theft case was also killed, according to the Saudi newspaper Al-Watan.
Relations between Riyadh and Bangkok have been strained after a series of incidents that occurred between 1989 and 1990, as Saudi Arabia believed Thai authorities were complicit in covering up some high-ranking officers involved in sharing jewelry with the worker. .
No one has been convicted of the killings of Saudi diplomats, according to the Associated Press.
The Gulf kingdom also barred its citizens from traveling to the Southeast Asian country due to the serious diplomatic crisis that erupted due to the theft case and was followed by the killings.
