Vietnam and Thailand have agreed to accelerate the implementation of their reached agreements and bring two-way trade to more than US$7 billion in 2012. During his one-day visit to Thailand on February 6, Vietnamese Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh met with Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and had talks with his Thai counterpart Surapong Tovichakchaikul. Mrs Shinawatra said that both countries should discuss ways to boost bilateral cooperation in specific areas as well as international and regional issues of mutual concern.The Vietnamese FM affirmed Vietnam’s unswerving policy of attaching importance to its neighbouring relations with Thailand. He thanked the Thai Government for facilitating the overseas Vietnamese community’s operations in the country.At the talks with Thai FM Tovichakchaikul, the two FMs agreed to accelerate the implementation of the agreements reached between the two countries’ leaders. They affirmed to implement the existing cooperation mechanisms and agreed to accelerate the second joint cabinet meeting this year.Regarding defence and security cooperation, the two sides will increase sea joint patrols and the fight against trans-national crimes and international terrorism and commit not to allow any organisations and individuals to use one country’s territory to harm other country’s security and order.On trade and investment, both sides consented to bring two-way trade to more than US$ 7 billion in 2012 and facilitate their businesses to utilize the efficiency of the East-West Economic Corridor.They also discussed cooperation in agriculture, labour and tourism and other fields. FM Minh asked Thailand to promptly free Vietnamese fishermen who were seized by Thailand over recent past and proposed building an appropriate mechanism and regulation to handle cases of the two countries’ fishing vessels and fishermen violating each other’s territory in accordance with each country’s law and on the basis of the two countries’ friendship.On the East Sea issue, the two sides underlined the need to ensure peace, stability and maritime security and safety and freedom in the East Sea and settle disputes through peaceful measures and abide by international law, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC) towards the building of the Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).Both sides also agreed to coordinate and cooperate with other ASEAN nations to build a united and strong ASEAN Community by 2015.They highlighted the results of the third tripartite meeting on the Malaysia-Thailand-Vietnam Overlapping Continental Shelf Claim Area that took place in 2012.The two sides reached an agreement on further collaborating with relevant countries to raise the efficiency of the cooperation mechanism in the Mekong sub-region.FM Minh’s visit to Thailand has contributed to strengthening the ties of time-honoured friendship and comprehensive cooperation between Vietnam and Thailand.VOV/VNA