Ties between Italy and Thailand are at "a particularly important moment", foreign minister Angelino Alfano said in Bangkok on Friday.
“The celebration of the 150th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Italy and Thailand marks a particularly important moment for our two countries’ relations,” Alfano said during a visit to the region.
Italy has organised a programme of 69 events over 299 days of the year to celebrate the event together with the Thai people, Alfano said.
"Cultural cooperation represents a fundamental instrument to promote mutual knowledge and friendship between peoples,” Alfano stated.
During his one-day visit to Bangok, Alfano met with Thai counterpart Don Pramudwinai to discuss relations between the two countries whose bilateral trade is worth around 2.5 million euros annually, the foreign ministry said.
Some 265,000 Italians visit Thailand every year and there are "sizeable two-way investments", the foreign ministry noted.
Alfano's talks with Don also focused on "the main regional political issues and cooperation within the ASEAN area," the ministry said.
Alfano earlier on Friday met members of the Italy-Thailand Business Forum which groups together 40 large and medium-sized companies of the two countries, with an overall annual turnover of 500 billion dollars.
"Today, economic relations between the two countries are intense and trade is well balanced and has strong growth potential. In 2017, Thai exports to Italy rose 8 percent and Italian exports to Thailand grew by 7 percent," said the foreign ministry.
Alfano later met with Thailand's prime minister Prayuth Chan-O-Cha, the foreign ministry said without giving details of the meeting agenda.
