Thailand’s Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin and his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim have agreed to form a number of task forces to boost existing ties in numerous areas.

Anwar said yesterday (Wednesday) that these include tourism, trade, food security and agriculture, as well as border security, according to The Star.

Anwar described Thailand as an “important and key neighbour” to Malaysia and said he was pleased with the pragmatic outcome of his meeting with Srettha, who was on a one-day visit to Malaysia.

“We have set up a number of task forces which must complete their work within a month,” he said during a joint press conference with Srettha after their meeting in Putrajaya.

Anwar said that both sides will meet again in one month, after relevant reports are submitted to him and Srettha, to review the performance of the task forces.

“Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has been forthcoming and, hopefully, we can increase trade and investment, complement each other as neighbours and benefit immensely from the experiences of both countries,” added Anwar.

The Star reported that, in 2022, Thailand was Malaysia’s seventh-largest trade partner globally and third among ASEAN member countries.