Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir

Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir will lead a Saudi delegation to the Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) summit, to be inaugurated on Sunday in the Thai capital city of Bangkok.

The three-day summit will seek to revitalize cooperation among the 34-member ACD, a pan-Asian regional grouping that also includes all member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

“Al-Jubeir will be traveling to Thailand today to participate in the summit,” confirmed Osama Nugali, spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, here Saturday.

The summit titled “One Asia, Diverse Strengths: Enhanced Partnership Toward New Dynamism,” will be hosted by Thai Prime Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha.

The summit is expected to review the progress of decisions taken during the first summit in Kuwait in 2012.

Referring to the political significance of the Bangkok summit, and the participation of heads of state and ministers, Danai Menabodhi, chargé d’affaires at the Thai Embassy in Riyadh, said that “most of the GCC countries will have high-level participation in the summit.”

The summit will also have a one-day ACD Business Connect Forum on Sunday, followed by the daylong summit on Monday.

Asked about any meeting between Saudi and Thai officials, Menabodhi did not rule out the possibility of bilateral talks between the Saudi and Thai foreign ministers, which possibly will help in repairing the strained ties between the two nations.

The Thai diplomat expressed his pleasure over the visit of Al-Jubeir and said “this is the first visit of a high-ranking Saudi official to Bangkok after several years.”

The Kingdom and Thailand have had tense ties for the last 27 years because of several high-profile unresolved cases of murders and robberies.

In 1989, a Thai worker allegedly stole jewelry and gems from the palace of a royal family member. This case is still unresolved. In another case, Mohammad Al-Ruwaili, a Saudi businessman was abducted and murdered in Thailand around the same time.

[vuukle]