Jakarta: Thailand and Indonesia have agreed to hold annual consultations on varied bilateral and regional issues and had discussed areas of trade cooperation.

Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej is currently paying an official two-day visit to the archipelago state during which he met with Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Jakarta.

In a joint news conference after the bilateral meeting, the Thai premier said that Thailand and Indonesia, whose diplomatic relationship will mark their 60th anniversary in 2010, agreed to promote bilateral trade, investment, energy and the food industry.

Bilateral trade, which accounted for $8.7 billion last year, is expected to grow to $20 billion in the next two years.

In particular, Indonesia plans to buy more Thai rice and sell aircraft to Thailand, according to the premier. Indonesia is the third important trade partner of Thailand in ASEAN.

Indonesia is the sixth country in the region that Samak has visited since becoming Thailand's new prime minister last month.

He has also visited Laos, Cambodia, Singapore, Myanmar and Vietnam.
Source : PTI