Prime Minister of Thailand General Prayut Chan-o-cha will undertake an official visit to Sri Lanka on 12 and 13 July.

This visit takes place against the backdrop of discussions during President Maithripala Sirisena’s visit to Thailand in November 2015, the Foreign Ministry said.

The Minister also stated that the Thailand Prime Minister would visit Sri Lanka upon an invitation from the Sri Lankan President.

On the evening of 12 July, the visiting Prime Minister will be received by President Sirisena at the Presidential Secretariat, and accorded an official guard of honour and gun salute. This will be followed by official bilateral discussions that will cover the full range of bilateral engagement between Sri Lanka and Thailand from culture to commerce and people-to-people contact. The President will host an official banquet at the President’s House that same evening for the visiting Thai Prime Minister and delegation.

/According to the Foreign Ministry, the following instruments are expected to be signed during the visit:

• Treaty on the Transfer of Offenders and on Co-operation in the Enforcement of Penal Sentences
• Memorandum of Understanding on Strategic Economic Partnership
• Memorandum of Understanding on Technological Collaboration Related to Value Addition of Primary Products
• Joint Action Programme for Cooperation on Sustainable Community Development Model Based on the Application of Sufficiency Economy Philosophy in Sri Lanka

A significant feature of the visit will be the launch of negotiations for a possible future Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between Sri Lanka and Thailand.