President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Mr Prime Minister, I am glad to meet with you once again.
We had a short meeting in Paris recently, but in general, we maintain regular contact.
Thailand is our old and reliable partner. Last year, we marked the 120th anniversary of our diplomatic relations.
Our relations are developing very positively. Evidence of this is the number of Russia tourists in Thailand. As far as I know – my colleagues have provided the data – our tourists have spent some $2 billion, or more precisely, $2.2 billion, in Thailand this year.
Prime Minister of Thailand Prayut Chan-o-Cha (retranslated): Thank you for meeting with me today. I am very glad to see you once again.
The relationship between our two countries has a very long history; it is productive and promising. Last year, our trade increased by about 50 percent, while the number of Russian tourists visiting Thailand increased by 26 percent.
We have good relations and cooperation in the security sphere between our Defence Ministries and security councils.
I was glad to learn that your Deputy Economic Development Minister headed the delegation to Thailand in February, and that over 50 Russian companies visited our country as well.
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