BANGKOK, June 20 (TNA) – Prime Minister and Defence Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha discussed bilateral cooperation on security and COVID-19 issues with the United States Secretary of Defense.
Defence spokesman Lt Gen Kongcheep Tantrawanit said that Gen Prayut had a phone conversation with US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper at 6pm on June 19.
Both sides discussed close cooperation on security affairs, solutions to the coronavirus disease 2019, military affairs, education, weaponry, marine security and cooperation in the Mekong Subregion.
Mr Esper praised Thailand for its successful control on COVID-19 and promised the US’s support for the development of Thai armed forces. He saw Thailand playing important roles in regional security, especially that in the South China Sea. He also said that the US was ready to help promote security in the Mekong Subregion.
Gen Prayut expressed his gratitude towards the US for its support for COVID-19 solutions in Thailand through the US Agency for International Development and its facilitation for the return of over 2,000 Thai people from the US.
The prime minister extended his moral support for the US to control COVID-19 among its citizens and promised his government would welcome the US’s constructive contribution to security in the Mekong Subregion.
