According to the President, ties between Lithuania and Thailand are in the early stage of development, and this visit opens up new prospects for strengthening our people-to-people and business ties. Thailand can open the way for Lithuania to the growing South-East Asia market while Lithuania with its advanced technologies and well-developed infrastructure can become Thailand’s bridge to the Baltic Sea region.
The President and the Thai Princess discussed prospects for boosting bilateral trade and investment. Thailand ranks first among South-East Asian countries in terms of investment in Lithuania. A Thai plastic granules factory, which applies high technologies and has 120 employees on its staff list, has been operational in Klaipėda for more than a decade. However, Dalia Grybauskaitė points out that there are more avenues for economic cooperation.
State-of-the-art medical, pharmaceutical and laser technologies are developed at five integrated science and business valleys in Lithuania and may be tailored to the needs of Thai business. Lithuania and Thailand could also cooperate in the fields of agriculture, food industry, logistics, and transport. Lithuanian producers of solar modules successfully conduct their activities in other South-East Asian countries; therefore, renewable energy could become one of the areas of economic cooperation between Lithuania and Thailand.
Views were also exchanged on strengthening bilateral ties in education, science and innovation. Lithuania can offer Thai students and scientists medical, engineering and public administration studies which are recognized worldwide as well as cooperation in research.
Thai Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn actively engages in humanitarian and charitable activities in the fields of education, public health and the protection of the rights of women and children. During their meeting, the President, who is Chair of the Council of Women World Leaders, and the member of the Thai Royal family shared their respective national experiences in combating domestic violence, reducing addictions and promoting the prevention of suicides.
The meeting also focused on the situation of women in South-East Asia and on how to encourage more women to get involved in political and economic life across the world. In 2017, an international conference hosted by the Asia–Europe Meeting (ASEM) will take place in Vilnius to discuss the situation of women in the global labor market. Thai representatives are also invited to the event.
Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn is the first member of the Thai Royal family to have visited Lithuania.
