On 24 April 2014, H.E. Mr. Tharit Charungvat, Ambassador of Thailand, paid a courtesy call on H.E. Mr. Mustafa Toprak, Governor of Izmir, during which many fields of cooperation between Thailand and Izmir were discussed.

H.E. the Thai Ambassador informed H.E. the Governor that the purposes of his visit to Izmir were to explore potentials of Izmir and to seek opportunity for future cooperation between Thailand and Izmir. H.E. Mr. Charungvat suggested Thailand and Izmir have more interaction and cooperation in various potential fields ranging from sharing experiences in city management, tourism, promotion of people-to-people contact, trade and investment. H.E. the Governor added that Izmir is Turkey’s most important base for export and import due to its long history as a port city, while ranking in the top three city of the country in terms of industry, agriculture, and tourism. H.E. Mr. Toprak wished that during the tenure of H.E. the Ambassador, Thailand and Izmir would have a closer tie and there would be more visit of Thai delegations to Izmir and vice versa.

Later that day, H.E. the Ambassador also paid a courtesy visit to H.E. Mr. Aziz Kocaoğlu, Mayor of Izmir. H.E. Mr. Charungvat congratulated H.E. Mr. Kocaoğlu on his re-election to a second term as Mayor, a real vote of confidence from Izmir citizens and a proof of his success. Commending Izmir for its development and good management of the metropolitan, H.E. the Ambassador proposed to bridge relation between the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration and the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality to allow both cities the opportunity to learn from each other’s best practices. Moreover, both sides agreed to have a closer contact between the Royal Thai Embassy and the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality in order to strengthen cooperation between Thailand and Izmir in the near future.