JOINT STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER OF MALAYSIA AND THE PRIME MINISTER OF THE KINGDOM OF THAILAND ON THE OCCASION OF THE OFFICIAL VISIT OF PRIME MINISTER OF THE KINGDOM OF[...]

Joint Statement

by the Prime Minister of Malaysia

and the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand

on the occasion of

the Official Visit of Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand to Malaysia,

9 - 10 July 2026

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Introduction

At the invitation of the Honourable Dato' Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim, Prime Minister of Malaysia, His Excellency Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Thailand, paid an official visit to Malaysia from 9 - 10 July 2026. During the visit, the two Prime Ministers held a bilateral meeting in a warm and cordial atmosphere.

Both Prime Ministers expressed satisfaction with the longstanding ties of friendship, cooperation, and good neighbourliness between Malaysia and Thailand, and reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening cooperation in all areas of mutual interest, both at the bilateral level and within ASEAN, for the shared prosperity and advancement of both countries and the region. Both Prime Ministers emphasised the importance of strengthening and deepening cooperation in the following key areas;

1. Overview of bilateral relations

Both sides looked forward to the 16th Meeting of the Thailand-Malaysia Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation (JC), and the 7th Ministerial Meeting on the Joint Development Strategy for Border Areas (JDS) to be hosted by Thailand.

Both sides agreed to convene the 8th Annual Consultation between the two Prime Ministers in Thailand in 2027 at a mutually convenient date to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Malaysia and Thailand.

2. Border Development

Both sides recognised the immense economic potential of the Southern Border Provinces of Thailand and Northern States of Malaysia and will increase cooperation in all areas in order to promote development and uplift the livelihoods in these border areas between the two countries.

Both sides reaffirmed the shared commitment to promote multi-modal connectivity linking the two countries in order to further facilitate cross-border trade and movement of goods and peoples.

Both sides welcomed the completion of the road alignment linking the new CIQ Sadao - ICQS Bukit Kayu Hitam, which the two Prime Ministers will preside over the official opening ceremony on 10 July 2026.

Both sides welcomed the continued cooperation towards connecting the double-track railway along the Ipoh - Padang Besar - Hat Yai corridor to enhance cross-border rail connectivity.

Both sides welcomed the full operationalisation of the Perlis Inland Port (PIP) and agreed to continue coordinating on operational matters, including facilitating cross-border freight movement, customs and quarantine procedures, and other border facilitation measures, with a view to enhancing logistics efficiency along the border areas.

Both sides welcomed the progress on the project of the 2nd Su-ngai Kolok - Rantau Panjang Bridge. They also welcomed the work in progress to revive the Rantau Panjang - Su-ngai Golok railway services and agreed to continue discussions towards its implementation.

Both sides welcomed the plan to revive the cross-border ferry service between Satun Province and Kuala Perlis, Perlis.

Both sides welcomed the plan to convene the Inaugural Meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee on Bilateral Cooperation on Transport (JMC) to be hosted by Malaysia in 2026, which will ensure closer coordination on all connectivity projects between the two countries.

3. Political and Security Cooperation

Both sides agreed to strengthen efforts in border management and cooperation in combatting transnational organised crimes, including online scams, human trafficking, drug trafficking, as well as wildlife and timber trafficking.

Both Prime Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening environmental cooperation, particularly in addressing transboundary issues such as mitigating haze pollution, preventing open burning, and conserving shared biodiversity along the border areas.

Both sides welcomed the robust and close partnership in defence and security cooperation between Thailand and Malaysia, and noted with satisfaction the progress under relevant bilateral mechanisms, such as the General Border Committee (GBC), the High-Level Committee (HLC), and the Regional Border Committee (RBC).

Both sides agreed to strengthen further security and defence cooperation through regular exchanges of visits and exercises. Both sides welcomed the establishment of a joint working group to coordinate on the Golok security barrier projects under the Regional Border Committee (RBC).

Both sides agreed to intensify coordination between the Office of National Water Resources of Thailand and the Ministry of Energy Transition and Water Transformation of Malaysia on technical cooperation to support the forecasting and monitoring for flood management in the border areas.

Both sides discussed the latest developments in the Southern Border Provinces (SBPs) of Thailand and pledged continued support for the Peace Dialogue Process in the SBPs, which aims at achieving lasting peace, security and prosperity in the SBPs. The Prime Minister of Thailand expressed appreciation to the Prime Minister of Malaysia for Malaysia's sincere and constructive role in facilitating the Process.

Both sides agreed to enhance cooperation to prevent acts of violence and bring perpetrators to justice.

4. Economic Partnership

Both sides welcomed the growing bilateral trade and investment, and pledged to enhance cooperation to achieve the bilateral trade target of USD 30 billion by 2027.

Both sides looked forward to the early convening of the 4th Joint Trade Committee to be hosted by Thailand.

Both sides welcomed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on Agricultural Cooperation today, which marks a significant milestone in strengthening bilateral relations and provides a comprehensive framework to deepen collaboration in agriculture, food security, research and innovation, capacity building and sustainable agricultural development for the mutual benefit of both countries. Both sides also welcomed the close cooperation between the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives of Thailand and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security of Malaysia in order to enhance partnership for food security.

Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthen partnership and integrated value chains, leveraging the comparative strengths of each country, in the areas of energy security and green economy, climate action, digital economy and high-tech industries, food security and Halal industries.

5. Socio-Cultural Cooperation

Both sides agreed to enhance cooperation to promote two-way tourism through better transportation links by road, rail, air and sea.

Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen cooperation in education, including technical and vocational education and training (TVET) and other mutually agreed areas of interest, with a view to promoting sustainable human capital development in both countries.

6. Pending Agreements

Both sides looked forward to the early conclusion of the MOUs on Cross Border Transport of Goods and Passengers; the MOU on Labour Cooperation; the MOU on Defence Cooperation, the MOU on Integrated River Basin Management (IRBM) of the Golok River, and the MOU on Cooperation in the field of Education.

7. Regional and Global Developments

The Two Prime Ministers exchanged views on global and regional developments and reaffirmed their shared commitment to ASEAN's unity and centrality in promoting peace, stability and development in the region.

The Prime Minister of Thailand expressed his heartfelt appreciation to the Government of Malaysia for the warm hospitality and extended a cordial invitation to the Prime Minister of Malaysia to visit to Thailand at a mutually convenient date.

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