Thailand and Vietnam mull strategic partnership

Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh has visited Thailand to work on details of upgrading relationship between the two countries, Thai News Agency reported on Saturday. Thai Foreign Minister Surapong Tovichakchaikul said the visit by his Vietnamese counterpart on Friday came on the heels of Thursday's meeting in the Laotian capital of Vientiane between Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung and his Thai counterpart Yingluck Shinawatra on the issue. In an unofficial joint cabinet meeting in October last year, the prime ministers of both countries agreed in principle to foster bilateral relationship to the level of "strategic partners. " The issue was reiterated during Thursday's meeting of the two leaders. Surapong said Thailand looked forward to wrapping up the issue before the Vietnamese prime minister's visit to Thailand later this year. He stressed Thailand's readiness to host the first Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation (JCBC) meeting between top officials of the two countries, which is the major mechanism of cooperation between Bangkok and Hanoi. The JCBC meeting should be held in September, he said.