Thai Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan- o-cha arrived in Nay Pyi Taw Thursday to start his first official visit to Myanmar, official sources said.
Prayut's visit, which is also his first overseas trip since named prime minister in August, is aimed at strengthening bilateral ties and economic cooperation and pushing for the long- delayed Dawei deep-sea port and industrial estate projects in Myanmar's southern Tanintharyi region initiated by Thailand.
Prayut is expected to meet Myanmar President U Thein Sein and other high ranking officials in the capital for discussing issues of mutual interest, including trade, border security and Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand.
He is also expected to meet Thai investors in Yangon and visit the Dawei Special Economic Zone project site.
Thailand is a key trade partner of Myanmar and trade between the two countries reached 5.682 billion U.S. dollars in 2013-14, according to Myanmar statistics, with Myanmar's export amounting to 4.306 billion dollars and import standing at 1.376 billion dollars.
Thailand is also the second largest foreign investor in Myanmar, with an investment of 10.114 billion dollars in 74 projects as of June 2014, accounting for 21.65 percent of the total foreign investment in Myanmar. Xinhua
