Prayut becomes first Thai PM to visit Saudi Arabia in 30 years
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha will visit Saudi Arabia from Tuesday to Wednesday as a guest of Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Government House announced on Sunday.
Prayut’s visit will be the first leader-level talks between the two governments in more than 30 years and the aim of the visit is to foster bilateral ties between the two countries, the announcement said.
In a bid to rekindle the long-stalled friendship, Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai visited Saudi Arabia in January 2020.
Saudi Arabia lowered its diplomatic ties with Thailand, which were established in 1957, after the theft of around US$20 million of jewels by a Thai janitor in 1989. This sparked a long-standing row that became known as the “Blue Diamond Affair”.
The theft became one of Thailand’s biggest unsolved mysteries with many police top brass implicated.
One year after the theft, three Saudi diplomats were killed in Bangkok in three separate incidents in one night.
