BANGKOK, June 26: Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will visit Pakistan and Bangladesh next month to discuss bilateral cooperation, Thai Foreign Minister Surakiart Sathirathai said.

Surakiart told reporters that Thaksin will visit Pakistan on July 1 and 2 to talk about cooperation on the rehabilitation of Afghanistan.

The countries will discuss a potential joint venture involving the export of various consumer products from Thailand to Pakistan, and then to the United States and European Union. Surakiart said that Pakistan could not produce enough goods to meet its allowable quota from the US and EU.

“Thailand may have a chance to provide materials and labour for the construction of roads and schools (in Afghanistan), and to export spare parts, engines and other consumer products such as canned food and instant noodles,” he said.

The two countries will also discuss transnational crime, the production of fake documents and illegal immigrants, another government official said.

Thaksin will make a two-day visit to Bangladesh on July 9 and 10, where he will discuss transportation cooperation, Surakiart said.— AFP