Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus met former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra to seek his valuable support in strengthening bilateral relations and contributing to the resolution of the Rohingya crisis, with the goal of achieving lasting peace in the region.
The meeting took place at the Shangri-La Hotel in Bangkok on Friday.
The chief adviser also expressed his gratitude to the former Thai prime minister for his efforts to expand Thai-Bangladesh trade and cooperation during his time as the head of the Southeast Asian nation.
During the meeting, they discussed global trade issues, as well as the expansion of microcredit and social businesses in rural Thailand, according to Chief Adviser's Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder.
Yunus also inquired about the health of Thaksin, an old friend of the 2006 Nobel Peace Laureate.
In 2001, soon after taking office, then prime minister Thaksin visited Bangladesh and Grameen Bank with his colleagues, where they designed a microcredit program for Thailand inspired by the success of the Grameen Bank model.
Yunus had been invited by Thaksin to be the chief guest at the national launch of the program that same year.
They also discussed the potential re-launch of the airline route between Chiang Mai and Chittagong, which had reduced the flight time between Bangladesh and Thailand to just one hour.
Thaksin recalled that former prime minister Khaleda Zia had flown with him on the inaugural flight from Chittagong to Chiang Mai.
Yunus and Thaksin further discussed other issues of mutual interest.
The chief adviser requested Thaksin’s support for Bangladesh's plan to become a member of Asean.
