By Boluwatife Adedokun
The Federal Government has begun moves to strengthen Nigeria’s bilateral relationship with Thailand by expanding cooperation into agriculture, technology, commerce, renewable energy and other strategic areas.
The proposed expansion is expected to move relations between both countries beyond traditional areas of trade, including crude oil and rice, while creating opportunities to leverage Thailand’s expertise in intermediate technology and agricultural development.
The development was discussed when Vice President Kashim Shettima received a Thai delegation led by Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yousef Hassan Khalawi, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Speaking on behalf of President Bola Tinubu, Shettima said Nigeria and Thailand needed to review their existing relationship and pursue broader strategic cooperation rather than limit their engagement to commercial transactions.
“I believe that our relationship should go beyond transactions in crude oil, rice production and so on. So, there is a need for us to review our bilateral relationship at a strategic level,” Shettima said.
The move is expected to deepen opportunities for cooperation in areas including agriculture, technology, trade and renewable energy, while strengthening economic ties between Nigeria and Thailand.
