"There are good prospects for expanding mutually beneficial cooperation in such spheres as energy, high technology, including space technology, military-technical cooperation, transport, and other areas," the Kremlin official said.
He said bilateral trade was worth $1.3 billion in 2004. Thailand is Russia's No. 1 trading partner among the ASEAN member countries, with more than 100,000 Russian tourists visiting Thailand every year.
Interaction with Thailand "is a principal area of Russia's foreign policy in Asia," the Kremlin source said, adding that the upcoming negotiations between the Russian and Thai leaders would continue the latest series of top-level bilateral contacts.
Thailand and Russia are cooperating effectively in regional affairs, in particular within the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, Russia-ASEAN dialogue partnership, and multilateral industrial associations, and are expanding their interaction at the UN and its specialized agencies.
"The sides put a special thrust on promoting the concept of a unipolar world, strengthening multilateral security systems, providing guarantees for a peaceful adjustment of crisis situations, and creating a global system to counter new threats and challenges, above all international terrorism," the Kremlin source said.
